Wolves Host First CCC Golf Tournament
Paul Starkebaum, Sports Information Director
College Place, Wash.– This week marked a big step forward in the Wolves golf program as they hosted their first Cascade Collegiate Conference golf event. Teams from across the conference, as well as from across town, had the opportunity to play at Wine Valley Golf Course this week in the Walla Walla Invitational. Men’s and women’s teams enjoyed great weather over the two-day tournament. Impressive scores were posted across all teams, but in the end the Oregon Tech women’s team and the Corban men’s team came out on top. David Murphy (OIT) and Kasey Crossland (CU) posted top individual scores for the men’s team while Noemi Ernst (OIT) and Casey Jansen (CU) posted top scores for the women.
Monday’s weather was exceptional and after rain Sunday night the course was calm and the green’s were as cordial as one could expect from the links style course. Kasey Crossland posted a top score of 68 for the men in the first round, and for the Wolves, Chase Yoshida led the pack with score of 75. Corban posted the best men’s score in round one, followed closely by Walla Walla Community College who remained in contention with the Warriors all tournament. Oregon Tech’s men’s team was in third place after the first round, as David Murphy’s opening score of 69 would prove second best for the round. Cole Henderson of the Wolves would post his best round of the season with a 76, but as a team the Wolves were only able to put themselves into sixth position overall after the opening round. Wolves Coach Curtis Kuhlman commented that the Wolves still have some work to do as a team. “What we see from other team’s is they are more consistent. Corban and OIT really stood out this tournament. The top tier team’s really show their consistency.”
Oregon Tech led the field in the second round with a team score of 292, while Montana Frame (OIT), Tucker Keys (WWCC), and Paul Smoot (NCU) all posted a low score of 70. Walla Walla Community College and Northwest Christian University tied for the second best score of the round with 294. The second round saw more great weather, but the course drying out seemed to have an effect on scores, as the majority of teams saw their totals rise in the afternoon.
The men’s final round saw Corban University lead the way with a score of 285. Kasey Crossland posted another score of 68, along with David Murphy. This final round of the tournament was played in much cooler weather, with a starting temperature of around 40° proving the most difficult challenge of the day while athletes enjoyed otherwise calm conditions. Four teams would post improved scores over the last round, but no one was able to catch Corban. Along with David and Kasey, Lars Malinen (WWCC) would post a score in the 60s with a final round of 69. Walla Walla had two of their athletes finish in the 70s with Chase Yoshida posting a score of 73 and Jonathan Lehman carding a 75. “Two tournaments in row where we had more scores in the 70s,” said Coach Kuhlman. “Jonathan Lehman’s 75 was great, that is at least seven strokes better than his average. We need more consistency with that going forward.”
The opening round of the women’s tournament went to the Owls of Oregon Tech. They posted a score of 306 and Kylie Collum posted a team low of 75. But it would be Natalie Mullins (COI) who put up a score of 73 that would prove to be the best round of the tournament. College of Idaho finished in second place for the round with a team score of 317. Jaci Allison posted the lowest score of the round for the wolves at 108. Oregon Tech’s secret to success in the opener was consistency, as they had four scores in the 70s to use towards their team score.
The Owls would lead the way again in round number two, posting a score only one stroke off their opening round with a 307. Corban University jumped in the second spot by shaving off 12 strokes from the previous round. Led by Casey Jansen’s 75, the Warriors posted a 311. Noemi Ernst (OIT) shot a 74 and posted the best score of the round as Oregon Tech once again benefited from consentient play across their team. While the Wolves finished in last place in the tournament, their coaches are pleased with the overall growth of the team. “The women’s team scores continue to improve,” Coach Kuhlman commented.
Athletes had the opportunity to play Wine Valley at its best over the last two days, and the scores reflected that. While cool temperatures at the start of the Tuesday round did present a challenge, the lack of wind on the links course benefitted the athletes more than anything else. The Wolves had a great time hosting the event and this brings an end to their fall Cascade Conference season. The Wolves next official tournament will take place over spring break.