CU golfers Dylan McDermott and Sabrina Iqbal finish 7th in their respective tourneys at prestigious Patriot All-America
By Gary Baines – 12/31/2023
It was the last day of the calendar year, and the college golf season won’t formally resume for at least several weeks. But several players with strong Colorado connections proved their games are in pretty good shape as the calendar is set to flip to 2024.
Three golfers from Colorado-based programs finished in the top 25 out of 84 men’s players on Sunday at the prestigious Patriot All-America at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Ariz. And a woman from the University of Colorado — along with a Colorado resident who plays for New Mexico — placed in the top 25 out of 65 players who competed in the women’s tournament.
Two CU golfers posted top-10 finishes on Sunday, with 2023 honorable-mention All-American Dylan McDermott tying for seventh in the men’s tournament, and Sabrina Iqbal sharing seventh on the women’s side.
McDermott, a junior who advanced to the round of 64 at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, made seven birdies and closed with a 4-under-par 66 on Sunday as his card included two 2s and seven 3s. That left the left-hander from Granite Bay, Calif., at 6 under par for three rounds, six strokes behind champion Ian Gilligan of the University of Florida, who won by three strokes.
McDermott’s CU teammate Justin Biwer also had a stellar Sunday as he carded a 6-under 64 that put him at 4 under overall, good for a tie for 12th place. In the final round, Biwer recorded two eagles, five birdies, a bogey and a double bogey. On his card, he posted two 2s and eight 3s.
Meanwhile, Connor Jones of Westminster and Colorado State tied for 25th place at 2 under par. Jones, ranked 90th among amateurs in the world, was in line for a much higher finish, but played his final five holes in 4 over par en route to a 72.
Sabrina Iqbal of CU was in contention for the women’s title through much of the day on Sunday before tailing off. (file photo)
In the women’s tournament, Iqbal, a transfer from Texas Christian who qualified for LPGA Q-Series in the fall (though she didn’t play there as she wanted to keep her amateur status for a final semester of college golf at CU), managed a top-10 showing on Sunday despite a rough finish. After rounds of 68-65 on Friday and Saturday, Iqbal was 1 under par through the first eight holes of the final round and was just a stroke out of the lead. But she played her final 10 holes in 5 over par and posted a 74, leaving her at 3 under par overall, nine behind winner Tillie Claggett of Vanderbilt, who closed with a 61.
Also cracking the women’s top 25 was Lauren Lehigh of Loveland and the University of New Mexico, who placed 21st at 1 over par for three rounds.
Here are all the scores for players with significant Colorado ties at The Patriot and its sister event, The Thunderbolt:
THE PATRIOT
Men
7. Dylan McDermott of CU 67-71-66—204
12. Justin Biwer of CU 71-71-64—206
25. Connor Jones of Westminster and CSU 66-70-72—208
30. Hunter Swanson of Denver and CU 67-71-71–209
40. Colin Prater of Colorado Springs 68-70-73—211
84. Brooks Morrell of Air Force Academy 77-73-78–228
Women
7. Sabrina Iqbal of CU 68-65-74–207
21. Lauren Lehigh of Loveland and Univ. of New Mexico 73-68-70—211
For all of The Patriot scores, CLICK HERE.
THE THUNDERBOLT
23. Jack Dozer of DU 69-70-74–213
41. Xavier Bighaus of Colorado Christian 70-74-73—217
44. Micah Stangebye of Montrose and Kentucky State 73-73-72—218
55. Antti Vahvaselka of UNC 74-70-77—221
For all of The Thunderbolt scores, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com