Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, March 24
Napa, Calif. (Silverado Resort)
12:30 p.m. (ET) / 18 holes
Central Michigan University
at
Bridgestone Collegiate Inv.
Sophomore Aydan Downer fired a 4-under 68 to lead CMU in the final round of the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in Napa, Calif.
Downer, Vedder Lead Men's Golf on Final Day of Bridgestone Invitational
3/24/2026 10:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
NAPA, Calif. – A pair of youngsters stepped up to deliver on Tuesday for the Central Michigan men's golf team in the final round of the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational.
Sophomore Aydan Downer shot a 4-under par 68 and freshman Hudson Vedder posted a 2-under 70 to lead the Chippewas at Silverado Country Club.
It was the best round of the tournament for both players who finished with a 222 total and among a group tied for 58th in the 80-player field.
Downer, who began the day tied for 75th, improved his placing by 16 shots after shooting 77 in each of the first two rounds.
Vedder, who opened with a 74 and then posted a second-round 78, started the final round tied for 71st and moved up 11 spots.
"Those guys being able to right the ship, so to speak, and tighten up and play a little better today and play a little more like they want and desire to as well as we want and desire for them to is a wonderful thing for the guys and for the program, so we're very happy and excited about that," CMU coach Kevin Jennings said. "They applied themselves today, stayed focused and locked in. We're very proud of them and happy for that."
The 4-under 68 was Downer's second-best score as a Chippewa after the 5-under 67 he posted in the first round of the Feb. 9-10 Lake Jovita Invitational, his first event with CMU. He made seven birdies against three bogeys on the day.
Vedder made five birdies against three bogeys en route to his 2-under 70, which matched his best round as a Chippewa. He posted a 2-under 70 during the second round at Lake Jovita.
CMU's Jeffrey Andrus and Keith Hunter both posted a final-round 3-over 75, while Philippe Yturralde shot a 5-over 77.
Andrus finished at 219 for the Chippewas' best finish, a tie for 46th, while Hunter finished tied for 52nd, and Yturralde tied for 73rd.
Downer and Vedder led the Chippewas to an even-par 288, their best of the three-round event. CMU finished 13th in the 14-team field.
"The guys were resilient today and played a little harder," Jennings said. "This is a challenging game that we play. It's probably, arguably, the hardest game on the planet. Those who play it, they understand what we're attempting to do, which is build a program from scratch, and we haven't even gotten to the end of our fourth year and we've had a lot of milestones.
"An event like this is not something to be taken lightly with internationals competing. We're very proud of our event and very happy with the way that we're progressing."
Brigham Young, which is ranked 27th nationally, closed with a 262 to win the tournament with an 810 total. Santa Clara, which shot 271 on Tuesday for an 835 total, finished runner-up.
BYU's Kihei Akina, who is ranked 47th, closed with a 9-under 63 to finish with at 21-under 195 and earn medalist honors and an exemption into a Korn Ferry Tour event later this season.
Peter Kim of BYU closed with an 11-under 61 to finish second at 16-under 201.
The final round closed the CMU-hosted tournament, which serves as a component of the PGA Tour's Pathway to Progression, an initiative launched in 2023 to identify, support and accelerate the careers of junior and collegiate golfers from underrepresented communities.
Jennings, who serves on the board of the Black College Golf Coaches Association and on the advisory board for the PGA Works Championship, was the driving force behind the event, which launched in 2024 and features a rare combination of Power 5, mid-major, HBCU and international programs.
"Being able to attract those types of programs to our event adds a lot of prestige to it and weight to what we're doing," said Jennings, who was named to coach CMU in 2022 when the program was resurrected after a 37-year hiatus. "It also allows us to rub elbows with individuals and with programs that we desire to be competitive with. It's a wonderful experience for our guys and it lets them know what we aspire to and the direction we want to go.
"For us to continue to elevate and get to the point where we're going to be more competitive everywhere we go, this is a great start -- running and having events such as the Bridgestone Collegiate. When we started it in 2024, there was no other collegiate event in the country like it, and we made history and we're continuing to set that precedent each year.
"It helps us in successfully elevating the program, Central Michigan Athletics, and Central Michigan University."
Sophomore Aydan Downer shot a 4-under par 68 and freshman Hudson Vedder posted a 2-under 70 to lead the Chippewas at Silverado Country Club.
It was the best round of the tournament for both players who finished with a 222 total and among a group tied for 58th in the 80-player field.
Downer, who began the day tied for 75th, improved his placing by 16 shots after shooting 77 in each of the first two rounds.
Vedder, who opened with a 74 and then posted a second-round 78, started the final round tied for 71st and moved up 11 spots.
"Those guys being able to right the ship, so to speak, and tighten up and play a little better today and play a little more like they want and desire to as well as we want and desire for them to is a wonderful thing for the guys and for the program, so we're very happy and excited about that," CMU coach Kevin Jennings said. "They applied themselves today, stayed focused and locked in. We're very proud of them and happy for that."
The 4-under 68 was Downer's second-best score as a Chippewa after the 5-under 67 he posted in the first round of the Feb. 9-10 Lake Jovita Invitational, his first event with CMU. He made seven birdies against three bogeys on the day.
Vedder made five birdies against three bogeys en route to his 2-under 70, which matched his best round as a Chippewa. He posted a 2-under 70 during the second round at Lake Jovita.
CMU's Jeffrey Andrus and Keith Hunter both posted a final-round 3-over 75, while Philippe Yturralde shot a 5-over 77.
Andrus finished at 219 for the Chippewas' best finish, a tie for 46th, while Hunter finished tied for 52nd, and Yturralde tied for 73rd.
Downer and Vedder led the Chippewas to an even-par 288, their best of the three-round event. CMU finished 13th in the 14-team field.
"The guys were resilient today and played a little harder," Jennings said. "This is a challenging game that we play. It's probably, arguably, the hardest game on the planet. Those who play it, they understand what we're attempting to do, which is build a program from scratch, and we haven't even gotten to the end of our fourth year and we've had a lot of milestones.
"An event like this is not something to be taken lightly with internationals competing. We're very proud of our event and very happy with the way that we're progressing."
Brigham Young, which is ranked 27th nationally, closed with a 262 to win the tournament with an 810 total. Santa Clara, which shot 271 on Tuesday for an 835 total, finished runner-up.
BYU's Kihei Akina, who is ranked 47th, closed with a 9-under 63 to finish with at 21-under 195 and earn medalist honors and an exemption into a Korn Ferry Tour event later this season.
Peter Kim of BYU closed with an 11-under 61 to finish second at 16-under 201.
The final round closed the CMU-hosted tournament, which serves as a component of the PGA Tour's Pathway to Progression, an initiative launched in 2023 to identify, support and accelerate the careers of junior and collegiate golfers from underrepresented communities.
Jennings, who serves on the board of the Black College Golf Coaches Association and on the advisory board for the PGA Works Championship, was the driving force behind the event, which launched in 2024 and features a rare combination of Power 5, mid-major, HBCU and international programs.
"Being able to attract those types of programs to our event adds a lot of prestige to it and weight to what we're doing," said Jennings, who was named to coach CMU in 2022 when the program was resurrected after a 37-year hiatus. "It also allows us to rub elbows with individuals and with programs that we desire to be competitive with. It's a wonderful experience for our guys and it lets them know what we aspire to and the direction we want to go.
"For us to continue to elevate and get to the point where we're going to be more competitive everywhere we go, this is a great start -- running and having events such as the Bridgestone Collegiate. When we started it in 2024, there was no other collegiate event in the country like it, and we made history and we're continuing to set that precedent each year.
"It helps us in successfully elevating the program, Central Michigan Athletics, and Central Michigan University."
Players Mentioned
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