The Loggers’ men’s and women’s fall golf season seemed like it was over before it started. So much hard work from the Loggers out on the green resulted in a very memorable season. The most recent tournament, the NWC Fall Classic, was the last of the fall season and just a sample of what the Loggers did during the season and what is expected to come in the spring.
The first day of the Fall Classic found the men’s team one stroke behind Whitworth for the team lead. To the Loggers’ dismay, the Pirates had a strong second day, shooting two under par while pulling away from the rest of the field for the team win. The Loggers shot a 302 on the first day, which was 14 above par, and a 304 the second day, 16 above par. This landed the Loggers in second place for the tournament, just one stroke ahead of Pacific Lutheran University.
Junior Derek Wilson (Bellevue, Wash.) led the men’s team on both days of the tournament. He shot even par on the first day and was second in the field of 44 golfers. On the second day, Wilson went two over par to finish fourth overall in the tournament. Sophomore Adam Bean (Portland, Ore.) tied for fifth place, and was one stroke behind Wilson with a 147 (+3) for the tournament. Bean shot five strokes better on day two of the tournament than his day one, which was a boost of confidence for both him and his teammates.
Sophomore Ricky Howard (Madison, Wisc.) placed 22nd with a score of 156 (+12) and junior Matt Kitto (Lake Oswego, Ore.) finished with a 157 (+13) to tie for 26th.
The Logger women took eighth as a team with junior Ev Grier (Port Angeles, Wash.) topping the women’s team with a 202, which was good enough for 31st. Junior Melissa Merrigan (Happy Valley, Ore.) was only one stroke back of Grier as she finished with a 203 (+59) in 32nd. Sophomore Madison Cox (Kirkland, Wash.) placed 35th and sophomore Molly Nelson (Bothell, Wash.) took 38th place. All four Logger women improved their strokes from the first day to the second day, shaving 25 strokes off the team score.
The Logger men earned seven points in the standings for a Northwest Conference Title. While the Logger women did not come out successfully in the standings, their improvement is a promising indicator of what is to come. In the spring, all teams in the conference will compete again at the NWC Spring Classic and the NWC Championships to determine the team champion of the NWC. The teams earn points based on the number of teams they beat in the tournament. Unlike most sports, there is a long break in the action before the season continues, but the Loggers should be well prepared to represent themselves and our school come spring time.
