Keith Tyburski continues to bring Colgate Men’s Golf to new heights.
The Raiders are coming off one of their most successful fall seasons in program history after breaking their 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole team totals in 2021. In their six events, the Raiders posted four top-5 finishes including a pair of runner-ups at Cornell and Binghamton.
In Colgate’s final event of the fall at Bucknell, the Raiders posted rounds of 280-280-291=851, shattering the program aggregate three-round total by 10 strokes. The previous-low 861 had been held since 2016-17.
Colgate’s first two even-par 280 scores at Bucknell marked the lowest single team rounds of all-time, plus the 280-280=560 is the lowest two-round total of all-time not in relation to par.
The Raiders Colgate's 286-284=570 (-6) composite at the Binghamton Invite marked their lowest 36-hole total in relation to par in program history, and tied the lowest numerical two-round total not in relation to par.
Tyburski, already the winningest head coach in program history, guided three players to tie or beat their career low collegiate rounds. Coming off Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors, Dugan McCabe captured two individual titles in the fall, including his medalist honor at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial – marking Colgate’s first winner of its home tournament since 2014.
The Raiders followed up an outstanding showing at the 2019 Patriot League Championship with a team title at the 2019 Bucknell Invitational. Colgate captured team honors for the first time since winning back-to-back at the 2009 and 2010 Colgate Invitational during Tyburski's first two seasons at the helm. The Raiders won away from home for the first time since claiming the 2002 St. Bonaventure/Kennan Invitational.
The victory at Bucknell pushed Tyburski over the career No. 400 mark, and his 410 victories during the stroke-play era make him the winningest coach in Colgate history.
Tyburski in 2019 led Colgate to its best overall Patriot League performance in nearly two decades with a third-place finish at Seven Oaks Golf Course. The Raiders were in contention all the way, and it took a five-hole playoff to prevent
Ryan Skae from becoming just the second Colgate golfer to win a Patriot League individual title.
As has been the case with many tournaments throughout the Tyburski coaching era, Colgate at the time set several program records during the two days of the Patriot League Championship:
• Best Team Round – Colgate closed with a 6-under-par 282. This was the second sub-par round in program history; the previous was 2 under par in 2010 at what is now called the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational.
• Best 54-Hole Total – Colgate finished at 10-over-par 282. The previous low was 19 over at the 2014 Connecticut Cup.
• Best Individual Patriot League Championship Score – Skae finished at 2-under-par 214. The previous low was Jesse Smith's 1 over at the 2002 championship.
• Best Individual Round in Relation to Par –
Dean Naime closed with a 5-under-par 67. The previous low was 4 under on eight previous occasions, most recently just a few weeks prior by Naime at the Villanova Wildcat Spring Invitational. The 67 also tied the program record for low total.
• Two on the All-Patriot League First Team – Skae and Naime. Colgate never before had placed two on the first team or had two finish among the top five at the same Patriot League Championship. Colgate previous All-Patriot League First Team and top-five finisher was Chris Wilson in 2015. Rick Gregson in 1994 is the only previous Raider to win Patriot League Championship medalist honors.
Colgate in 2018-19 obliterated the program records for season scoring average, finishing at +10.74 versus par and 296.13 overall. Those bettered the previous numbers by more than five strokes versus par and nearly four strokes in average.
Tyburski-led teams now own the top four season averages in both categories and seven of the top eight.
The Raiders own four all-time rounds of par or better – all under Tyburski. Two occurred this season, including that fantastic finish at the conference championship.
Colgate did not set a program mark for birdies this season. They finished two shy with 276. Tyburski-coached teams own the top eight places in team birdies, all with 210 or more.
Skae is making a run at the all-time Colgate scoring records of +3.13 versus par and 74.39 overall. Those were set just a few years ago by Ryan Allison ’17, and now Skae has a chance to continue to legacy of outstanding golfers recruited by Tyburski.
Six of the top nine Colgate golfers in career scoring average – and 10 of the top 15 – have played or are playing under Tyburski.
Skae already owns the Colgate record with 23 rounds of par or better, and he’s 13 birdies away from Allison’s record of 201.
Tyburski’s recruitment and development of Allison, one of the most accomplished golfers in Colgate history, paved the way for many of the recent accomplishments.
Allison graduated as the program record-holder in career scoring average aggregate 74.39; career scoring average versus par +3.13; career rounds of par or better 18; career counting percentage 98.8; career birdies 201; season scoring average aggregate 73.15; season rounds par or better 8; and season counting percentage 100.0.
Allison also was one of just five members selected to the 2016 Men's Golf Academic All-Patriot League Team, Colgate’s second such honor in as many seasons.
Skae in his debut campaign of 2016-17 broke Allison’s season record of par or better rounds with nine, further proof that Tyburski continues to fill the ranks with quality golfers on an annual basis.
Skae began his Colgate career by finishing fifth, seventh and first in his opening three tournaments. The win came by a dominating six strokes at the Cornell Invitational and included a program-record 67 in Round 2. His scores of 207 and 6 under par also broke Colgate records.
Skae went on to earn Colgate’s first Patriot League Player of the Month award on the strength of a 71.4 average through 11 rounds and four tournaments.
Tyburski also helped the team and the Colgate University community through the 2016 death of Alex Lagowitz ’15.
"Alex was in my first recruiting class and made tremendous strides on and off the course during his four years here,” Tyburski said. "To honor and remember Alex, our home tournament has been renamed the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational in his memory.
“He loved Colgate and the game of golf, and this is a great way to commemorate him and forever carry on his legacy."
In 2014-15, Colgate tied for third at the Patriot League Championship for their best finish at that event since 2001. Chris Wilson completed a magical weekend at the tournament with a fifth-place individual finish, landing a spot on the All-Patriot League First Team.
Wilson was Colgate's first first-teamer since 2008.
Also during the 2014-15 season, Allison won the Colgate Invitational and twice broke the program's 54-hole scoring total. He carded a 2-under-par total of 214 at Seven Oaks Golf Course to win the Colgate Invitational by one stroke. Later in the fall, Allison finished second at the Connecticut Cup with a 3-under-par 213.
Since Golfstat.com records-keeping began in 1993-94, no Colgate golfer had finished in red figures for a 54-hole tournament. Allison broke Jesse Smith's 54-hole program record of 1 over par, set at the 2002 Patriot League Championship.
Tyburski was named interim head coach in the fall of 2009 and immediately led the Raiders to a first-place finish at the Colgate Invitational. He then was named head coach to begin the 2010-11 season, and the Raiders won the Colgate Invitational for a second straight year.
Among the early highlights, Will Zabel in 2012 was named to both the All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League teams. Will Delano finished his career fourth in scoring average on the Colgate charts. Delano recorded six top-10 finishes, including a victory at the 2010 Colgate Invitational.
And the team victory at the 2010 Colgate Invitational was highlighted by a then-program record score of 286, marking the first time the Raiders had ever fired a score under par (-2).
Tyburski during his career has seen 48 Raiders make the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and three named Academic All-Patriot League. Allison in 2016 was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.
During his collegiate playing career, Tyburski was a member of the Western Carolina golf team. He tied for medalist honors at the 2004 Western Carolina Intercollegiate Invitational and placed in the top 10 four times for the Catamounts. He also was named to the All-Southern Conference academic team four times and was the 2005-06 student-athlete athletic council representative.
Upon graduation from Western Carolina in 2006, Tyburski played professionally on various mini circuits across the country. While playing pro, he worked with renowned golf trainer Jack Lumpkin, who has mentored such players as Davis Love III and Jonathan Byrd among his numerous PGA Tour pros.
Tyburski is a Hamilton native. His father Bob '74 played basketball at Colgate, and both parents worked at Colgate in various capacities for over 35 years.
