Welcome To Classic CU

Reigning Big Eight champion Terry Kahl was one of three Buffaloes to earn All-America honors in 1981

Story by David Plati, Assistant Director
CU Sports Information
(May 30, 1981)

STANFORD, Calif. - Despite playing “decent golf"  according to coach Mark Simpson, the University of Colorado couldn’t move up the ladder any further and wound up tied for 11th as the 84th annual NCAA Golf Championships came to a close here Saturday.

Brigham Young won the team title by two strokes over Oral Roberts, as the Cougars came in with an 1161 count for the 72-hole tournament. Colorado and Southern Cal finished 24 strokes back with 1185.

Steve Jones shot a 72 in the final round to close out at 289, good enough for a ninth place tie. It was the fourth best individual finish by a Buff in Colorado history, topped only by Hale Irwin’s first-place triumph in 1967, Merle Backlund’s medalist win in 1953, and Bill Musselman’s eighth-place tie in 1968.

Three Colorado players were named to the various All-America squads, led by Jones second-team honor. The senior from Yuma, Colo., was an honorable mention selection last year. Junior Rick Cramer was tabbed on the third team, while senior and Big Eight champion Terry Kahl won honorable mention distinction. CU was one of only three teams to have three players named in all.

“I thought we played well,” commented coach Mark Simpson. “Terry and Rick had off days, and Rick really had an off tournament. But I’m still extremely proud of these guys--they played well in pressure situations.

“We’re a bit disappointed that we finished out of the top ten,” Simpson continued. “But we still finished as the eleventh best team in the country, and there are a couple of hundred teams around that wish they could say that. I’m very proud of the finish, and I think it’s great.” Colorado tied for 10th in 1953 and tied for eighth in 1968, the only two better performances than the 1981 edition of the Buffaloes.

Southern Cal’s Ron Commans fired a 69 Saturday to win the individual title with a 283. Jay Don Blake, the third round leader, ballooned to a 76 and fell one stroke short of winning a second straight NCAA medalist acclaim.

After BYU and Oral Roberts, Houston finished third at 1170 and 1980 champion Oklahoma State fourth. The Cowboys rebounded from a 12th place tie after two rounds to finish in the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Arizona State (1172), Georgia (1176), Tennessee and New Mexico (1180), Wake Forest (1182) and Texas A&M (1183).

Kahl fired a 77 to finish with a 296 tally, the only Buff in addition to Jones to break 300. Other Colorado scores were freshman Mike Hogberg at 75-302; senior Trevor Jones at 78-302; and Cramer at 77-306.

“We still had a heckuva year,” Simpson said. “We played some great golf in some big tournaments, while Steve and Terry both won top-notch classics. It’s definitely a year to remember--and I think people can now realize that Colorado is a name in collegiate golf.”

Buff Individual Scores
Steve Jones 75-71-71-72--289 (tie-ninth); Terry Kahl 73-72-74-77--296; Mike Hogberg 76-74-77-75--302; Trevor Jones 73-77-78-74--302; Rick Cramer 76-73-80-77--306.

Individual Scores
1. Ron Commans, USC 71-72-71-69--298; 2. Jay Don Blake, Utah State 70-69-69-76--284.

Teams that did not make the 54-hole cut: 17. Alabama; 18. Fresno State, North Carolina and San Jose State: 21. San Diego State; 22. Centenary; 23. Stanford; 24. Ohio State; 25. Purdue and Louisiana State; 27. Oregon; 28. Temple; 29 Oklahoma; 30. Dartmouth.