BOULDER, Colo. --- Biola sophomore-to-be Joshua Mathis placed third at the prestigious Colorado Golfers Association Stroke Play Championship at the Boulder Country Club this weekend.

Mathis, who led the tournament for the first three rounds, finished with a five-under-par 275 (65-68-70-72). He lost the lead to a pair of golfers, one of which fired a course-record 60 to force a two-way playoff.

Mathis jumped out to a quick lead after 18 holes despite just getting over a bout with strep throat which kept him from completing the practice round on Wednesday. He finished a bogey-free first-round with a three-stroke lead, despite having never played the back nine at BCC before. In addition, due to vacation and sickness, Mathis had played just 27 holes of golf the previous three weeks.

Despite leading the tournament, Mathis had a chance to do more damage, but missed a pair of short putts on the 16th and 17th holes before draining a 20-foot putt to save par on 18.

On Friday, Mathis extended his lead to four strokes with a 68, but had to deal with the stress of finding a new hotel after booking for just two days in case he didn't make the cut. He had two bogeys on the day, but didn't write a "5" on his scorecard in either of the first two rounds.

Saturday, the field caught up to Mathis, who finished with an even-par 70. Sixteen-year-old Wyndham Clark, the eventual tournament champion, shot a 66 to finish the third round tied with Mathis atop the leaderboard. Mathis had a four-birdie, four-bogey round and missed three putts of five feet or less. However, he pulled out the tie with a strong showing on 17. Already trailing by two, he would send a shot into the water, but salvaged a par on hole while Clark bogeyed the final two holes.

Mathis would finish the tournament with a two-over-par 72, running out of gas on the final day. Clark fired an even-par 70 while Jim Knous carded a course-record 60 to force a playoff. Mathis would three-putt the fourth and fifth holes to quickly fall behind, but finished strong to finish fifth--just two strokes behind the leaders.

Mathis burst onto the scene in 2009-10 for the fledgling Eagles' golf team, wrapping up the year with an impressive sixth-place finish at the California Baptist University Invitational. That came four weeks after placing 13th at the Southern Nazarene Invitational which featured an impressive field of NCAA Division I and II teams.