COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – The Western Washington University men’s golf team overcame a six-stroke deficit to capture the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships with a one-stroke victory over Concordia Tuesday at Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
The Vikings repeated as GNAC champions and won for the eighth time in the 10-year history of the event. WWU, the 34th-ranked team in the Golfstat rankings and No. 6 in the NCAA II West Region poll, is nearly a lock to make its 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II West/South Center Super Regional (May 8-10, Stockton, CA, Brookside Country Club).
WWU fired a 6-over-par 290 in Tuesday’s final round, overcoming Concordia (+13, 297) to claim the top spot. Western’s three-round total of 871 (+19) edged the Cavaliers (+20, 872), 3rd-place Saint Martin’s (+21, 873) and 4th-place Simon Fraser (+23, 875).
The tournament title came down to the final groups for the top teams, with WWU seniors Jeffrey Marcum and Chris Hatch recording pars on each of their last three holes to help clinch the victory. The overall team score was tied with Hatch and Concordia’s Nick Huff playing the final three holes (holes 7-9). Hatch recorded a par on the 435-yard par 4 No. 7, while Huff and Simon Fraser’s Chris Crisologo each tallied bogeys. The threesome all carded pars on the final two holes of the event with everyone in attendance crowded around the green to see the final putts. Hatch sunk his putt to secure the one-stroke victory for the Vikings.
“Today was a solid team effort with everyone contributing to the championship,” said head coach Luke Bennett, who has guided the Vikings to a pair of GNAC Championships in his four seasons at the helm of the program. “The guys didn’t let the weather conditions get to them and they battled from the beginning to the end. I am very proud of them.”
Hatch (Sr., Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) finished 2nd in the 30-player field finishing the 54-hole tournament at 3-under-par 210 (71-67-72). The three-time GNAC All-Star fired a final round of 1-over-par 72 to record his highest finish at the GNAC Championships, bettering his 3rd-place finish in 2016 and 4th place as a freshman in 2014.
The Vikings had four players finish in the top 20, with Marcum (Richland, WA) finishing in 6th place at 4-over-par (217). The senior recorded the best round of the day for the Vikings with an even-par 71, recording 3 birdies (all on the front 9) and 3 bogeys.
Sophomore Cody Roth (Bellingham, WA) shot a 2-over-par 73 in the final round to move up four spots to finish in a five-way tie for 12th place at 10-over-par 223.
Sophomore Michael Butler (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) finished in 20th place at +14 (227) and senior Brett Johnson (Ridgefield, WA) was tied for 21st at +15 (228).
Crisologo, the GNAC’s leader in scoring average (71.5) entering the championships, won individual medalist honors with a three-round total of 5-under-par 208, edging Hatch by two strikes. Saint Martin’s Austin Spicer was 3rd (-2, 211), Huff finished 4th (+1, 214) and Saint Martin’s Trevor Frisby (+3, 216) rounded out the top 5.
— @WWUMGolf —
