Laramie, Wyo. (Oct. 8, 2019) --  For the second consecutive tournament, the Wyoming Cowboy golf team posted a third-place team finish and had an individual place in the Top 10 individuals.  The Cowboys fired a six-under par final round of 282 on Tuesday to finish at 844 (-20) for the tournament and capture third place in the 12-team field at the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational.  Junior Carl Underwood recorded the best tournament finish of his college career, placing fourth, firing a three-round total of 205 (-11), just one stroke away from an individual title.
 
Wyoming's 282 (-6) on Tuesday combined with rounds of 279 (-9) and 283 (-5) on Monday for three consecutive sub-par rounds in the tournament.  Underwood also fired under-par rounds in each of his individual rounds of the Mark Simpson Invite.  He opened with a 71 (-1) followed by a 66 (-6) in the opening two rounds on Monday and closed out the tournament, shooting a 68 (-4) on Tuesday for a 205 (-11) total.  Underwood finished just one stroke out of a playoff for the individual medalist honors.  Not only did Underwood post his highest career finish in a college tournament with his fourth-place showing, but it followed up his previous career best finish of 13th that he posted this past Sunday at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate.
 
Joining Underwood in the Top 20 at the Mark Simpson were Cowboy junior Bryce Waters, who tied for 14th at 210 (-6), and sophomore Kirby Coe-Kirkham, who finished in a tie for 20th, shooting a 213 (-3).  Fellow sophomore Tyler Severin tied for 31st, with an even-par total of 216, and senior Dan Starzinski finished in a tie for 62nd at 227 (+11).  Competing as individuals for Wyoming were redshirt freshman Liam Clancy, who tied for 41st at 218 (+2), and sophomore Jared Edeen, who tied for 62nd at 227 (+11).
 
"This week we had a lot of positives.  It was a good run for us," said Joe Jensen, Head Coach and Director of Golf at the University of Wyoming.  "I liked the fight I saw in the guys today.  We started the day in fourth, dropped a little bit earlier in the round and then fought our way back to third place at the end.  We gutted out some tough pars down the stretch.  I'm really proud of the way the guys responded.    
 
"My heart goes out to Carl (Underwood).  He missed one short putt late and ended up missing out on the playoff for the individual title by just one stroke, but he had a really nice week.  He has come in as a junior and really played well.  Carl went into this final round today among the leaders, which is not a position he has been in a lot, but he moved up from sixth into a position where he had a chance to win the tournament.
 
"As I've said a number of times this fall, I like the balance on this team.  We've had different individuals step up in different tournaments, including this one, and that is something we can build on the rest of the season."
 
Host Colorado won the team title, with a three-round total of 829 (-35).  Grand Canyon took home second place at 839 (-25), and Wyoming captured third at 844 (-20).
 
The playoff for the individual title was eventually won by Michael Salazar of Grand Canyon.  Salazar won the playoff against Jack Dyer of Cal State Fullerton and Daniel O'Loughlin of Colorado when Salazar birdied the first hole of the playoff while Dyer and O'Loughlin parred the hole.  All three finished the regulation 54 holes at 204 (-12).
 
In the Pokes' back-to-back tournaments this past week at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate and the Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational, the Cowboys shot under par as a team in five of six rounds.  Not only did Underwood post the two best tournament finishes of his college career with a 13th at the Ron Moore and a 4th at the Mark Simpson, but several other Cowboys also had some of their best performances as collegians.  Coe-Kirkham was Wyoming's highest finisher at the Ron Moore, placing seventh to go with a 20th-place showing at the Mark Simpson for his fourth Top 20 finish in UW's five fall tournaments.  Severin recorded his highest career finish in a college tournament, placing 13th at the Ron Moore.  Junior-college transfer Waters finished 14th at the Mark Simpson to record his best career finish at the NCAA Division I level, and Starzinski notched a 19th-place finish at the Ron Moore for his third Top 20 showing of the fall season.    
 
The Mark Simpson Colorado Invitational was played at the Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo.  Colorado National measured 7,676 yards and played to a Par 72.
 
The Cowboys have one tournament remaining on their fall schedule.  UW will play in the Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational in Maui, Hawai'i on Friday-Sunday, Nov. 1-3.