University of Colorado men’s golf coach Roy Edwards has added three star prep performers to the Buffalo program, as all signed national letters-of-intent to attend CU beginning next fall in the recent fall signing period.
Jacob Mason from Holy Family High School in Westminster and teammates Justin Biwer (pronounced be-were) and Ryan Mendez from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego will be the newest Buffs come August 2020. It’s one of rare occasions that two players from the same high school class signed in the same year with the Buffaloes, the third time under Edwards.
“We are pleased with the signings of Jacob, Justin, and Ryan,” Edwards said. “All three are talented players. We feel they all have great work ethics, are coachable, understand the sacrifice it takes to be great golfers, and will represent the University of Colorado very well.”
Mason earned first-team all-state (3A) honors as determined by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps for the recently completed fall season, when he owned a stroke average of under 71. He finished third in the state championship with a 78-73—151 (+7) score, helping Holy Family to a runner-up finish. He is a four-time all-state performer, as he was sixth in the state meet as a junior (74-71—146, +5) which was held at Boulder Country Club, 16th as a sophomore when the event was limited to one round due to weather and sixth as a freshman; those first two years he attended Jefferson Academy before transferring to Holy Family, where he had a sub-70 average (69.8) as a junior.
He has also recorded several top finishes on the junior amateur circuits. He won an AGJA Qualifier in Garden City, Kan., in 2018 (and is ranked fifth on its points list in Colorado for 2019). He has been an active participant in the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado (JGAC), winning its event at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins (145, +3), and on the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT), where he won the Nevada Wolf Run event in Reno (150, +6) this past summer.
“I picked CU because I’ve loved the school since I was a little kid,” Mason said. “I’ve gone to football games for as long as I can remember and was raised by members of my family to be a Buff so it’s always been my dream school. I also think Coach Edwards and Coach Grady are great coaches that can help me further my game, and being able to be coached by them will help me maximize my potential.”
Biwer resumed playing competitive golf in January 2018 after a four-year layoff when he concentrated on basketball and baseball. He qualified for the IMG Junior World seven months later and dating back to this past February, he’s had seven top five finishes, including earning co-medalist honors in the AJGA Preview in San Bernardino (142, -2). In the FCWT Western States Players Cup, he recorded a 70-68-68—206 (-10) scorecard and finished second after losing in a playoff, and he also nabbed a runner-up finish in the Toyota Tour Cup (140, -4). Another top AJGA finish was a tie for sixth in the Open at The Oaks Club in Valencia (213, -3).
Mendez earned second-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors as a junior, translating he was one of the top 12 prep players in the heavily competition region. His scoring differential was a solid 0.29.
