There has always been great emphasis placed the varsity sports teams on this campus, however this interest has been focused on just that: teams. Football, soccer, baseball and volleyball (just to name a few) have been the sports of interest on the Puget Sound campus. Whether or not that interest is for negative or positive reasons is left to the sports enthusiasts.
However, the Puget Sound campus is home to more than just the fast-paced contact sports. It is also home to a very talented group of individual athletes in the form of the golf team. The golf teams have been consistently sweeping the greens and have not been truly recognized for their achievements.
“The men’s golf team is statistically the second best looking team, just behind the women’s soccer team,” senior Andy Bingle (Breckenridge, Colo.) said.
Last fall, the men’s golf team, led by sophomore Matt Kitto (Lake Oswego, Ore.) captured their second consecutive Fall Classic Title, and as they continue through the spring season, the men’s golf team’s future looks bright. The season is already off to a fantastic start.
The team picked up right where it left off on March 2 with a win at the Logger Invitational. They won by five strokes firing a 613 (+45) in the four team tournament. The team was led by freshman Adam Bean (Portland, Ore.) who took home his first career medalist honors. He was tied for the individual lead on the first day after shooting a 76 (+5) and captured the lead on the second by scoring a 75 (+4), putting him two strokes ahead of his competition.
The Loggers continued on the road at the PLU Invitational on March 4 where they finished fifth overall.
The team was led by freshmen Ricky Howard who finished seventh individually. Although the Loggers did not place high, they saw a dramatic improvement between days one and two of the tournament.
They shaved 13 strokes off of their team score, firing a 322 (+34) on the first day, and after four Loggers went sub-80 on the second day, shot a 309 (+21). Although this improvement did not place them in position to finish first, it demonstrates the team’s willpower and drive to succeed in the tournament circuit.
This drive was demonstrated once again at the Pacific Invitational March 17 and 18. The men’s golf team completed play in third place, led by Kitto and Bean. Bean fired a 75 (+3) on Sunday, and Kitto shot a four-over 76. They tied for sixth in the tournament, each with a two-day score of 150 (+6), just four shots behind the lead.
The Loggers were third in the tournament with an overall team score of 614 (+38), following the Linfield team, which scored just 23-over par, and the Community College of Spokane. The team will head to the NWC Spring Class on March 31-April 1 for their next tournament.
The goal for the men’s golf team is to aim high, as they wish to end the season in Florida at the national conference tournament. With their consistently fantastic tournament record, this goal is not out of reach. They were close to making their dream come true last season, but fell flat. This year they have a second chance.
“I’m really looking forward to playing better at the conference championship. We were in a good position going into the conference championship last spring but we didn’t finish strong. I’m looking forward to a little redemption this season,” Kitto said.
The women’s golf team, who is also doing well this spring season, is hoping to see the men head to national’s this spring, and they believe that there is no question that they will indeed be heading to Florida.
“The boys will almost undoubtedly going to nationals,” senior Carrie Eidsness (Stanwood, Wash.) said.
As the season continues, the men’s golf team will have more opportunity to shine.
