Sophomore Joey Duwe captured the first individual title of his collegiate career Sunday at the Beacon Classic in heroic fashion with a birdie on the finishing 18th hole.
Corban's Duwe Wins Beacon Classic With Birdie
FINAL RESULTS
CRESWELL, Ore. – Sophomore Joey Duwe (Kingston, Wash.) took home the first individual title of his collegiate career winning the Beacon Classic by one stroke over Northwest Christian's Brent McKee Sunday at Emerald Valley Golf Club.
The second-year Warrior carded an final round score of 2-over 74 to post a two-day total of 5-over 149 (75-74) compared to McKee's 4-over 77 on Sunday for a 36-hole total of 6-over 150 (73-77).
"Today's round was fun," commented Duwe. "I enjoy playing with Brent, as he makes it fun even when the pressure is on."
Coming into Sunday's final round, Duwe was behind McKee's clubhouse lead by two strokes. After the opening nine holes, the North Kitsap High School graduate had made up the difference and gained an extra two shots to lead by two strokes at the turn following a 25-foot birdie on the ninth hole.
After struggling over the opening five holes on the back nine, Duwe and McKee were tied once again with only four holes to play. A 12-foot birdie on the 16th hole handed Duwe a one-stroke lead before a bogey by the Warriors' No. 1 player on the very next hole dropped the duo back into a tie heading to the final hole.
The par 5 finishing 18th would be the deciding hole between the two friendly competitors. Duwe would open with a nice drive down the middle of the fairway before laying up with a 3-wood to within 100 yards. A pitch onto the green with a back left pin placement would set-up a tournament-closing five foot putt for the possible victory.
Knowing that making a birdie on the final hole would put the pressure on McKee, Duwe read his left-to-right putt just a ball outside to the left. After stroking the putt, the ball rolled along his intended line and dropped into the middle of the cup. A double fist-pump sealed the victory for Duwe, as he knew that McKee could make nothing better than a par on the lengthy closing hole.
"I played a perfect 18th hole," commented Duwe. "Great drive, beautiful 3-wood, a pitch, and putt that I will never forget. My goal this year was to win one tournament. Now that goal is to win again, and hopefully again and again."
Along with Duwe's victory, fellow sophomore Chris Dudley (Boise, Idaho) posted a second round 11-over 83 to finish ninth overall thanks to a two-day total of 26-over 170 (87-83). Rounding out the Warriors' scoring quartet on the afternoon was freshman Tyler Morgan (Salem, Ore.) and junior Steve Landis (Gladstone, Ore.), as the duo posted scores of 10-over 82 and 11-over 83 respectively.
Morgan posted the second best score of the afternoon for Corban, as he finished tied for 11th overall with sophomore Michael May (Salem, Ore.) who posted a 36-hole total of 28-over 172 (87-85).
Meanwhile, Landis finished the tournament in 12th place thanks to a combined two-round score of 29-over 173 (90-83). After posting a season-high 18-over 90 in Round #1, Landis rebounded with one of the best scores of the day thanks to his closing performance over the tournament's final 18 holes.
Individually, senior Tyler Dean (Klamath Falls, Ore.) finished all along in 19th place after posting a combined score of 42-over 186 (93-93). Meanwhile, sophomore Aaron Schilperoort (Yakima, Wash.) concluded his first tournament of the season in a tie for 21st place after posting a 36-hole total of 51-over 195 (100-95).
As a team, Corban carded a two-round total of 85-over 661 (338-322) and finished behind Simpson (338-309=647) and classic-host Northwest Christian (330-326=656). The visiting Redhawks from California overcame an eight-stroke deficit in the final round thanks to a combined 21-over 309, as the host Beacons posted a closing 38-over 326. Meanwhile, Corban improved by a combined 16 strokes from the opening to closing round but could not overcome the nine-stroke difference that was made after Round #1.
Corban will return to the links on Saturday & Sunday, September 25th & 26th, at the Linfield Invitational being played at Michelbrook Country Club in McMinnville. Both days will begin at 12:45 p.m.