GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The Western Washington University men’s golf team wrapped up the regular season schedule with a 5th place finish in the 20-team Mustang Intercollegiate hosted by Western New Mexico University Monday and Tuesday at Palm Valley Golf Club.
The Vikings finished at even par for the 54-hole tournament (864), turning in rounds of 288 (E), 285 (-3) and 291 (+3). WWU was two strokes back of 4th-place Stanislaus State (-2, 862). BYU Hawai’i won the team title with a 12-under-par 852 score.
“We had a tough time gaining any momentum today,” said head coach Luke Bennett. “Chris (Hatch) and Jeffrey (Marcum) played solid today.”
Senior Jeffrey Marcum (Richland, WA/South Mountain CC) paced the Vikings contingent with a 10th-place finish in the 104-player field. Marcum finished 3-under-par with rounds of 73 (+1), 69 (-3) and 71 (-1) to record his fourth consecutive top 10 finish.
Senior Chris Hatch (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) moved up 8 spots from 24th place to a tie for 16th with a final round 1-under-par 71. Hatch finished the tournament at -1 (215) with rounds of 72 (E), 72 (E) and 71 (-1).
Senior Brett Johnson (Ridgefield, WA/Oregon State) rounded out WWU’s three golfers in the top 25 placing 22nd (tie) with an even-par 216 for the tournament.
Sophomore Michael Butler (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) finished T51st (+6, 222) and freshman Jack Shea (Sequim, WA) was T86th (+14, 230) to round out the Viking contingent in the tournament.
Colorado Mines’ George Markham and Cal State East Bay’s Adam Stone tied for individual medalist honors at 10-under-par for the 54-hole tournament.
The Vikings have concluded the regular season and will next be in action April 24-25 at the GNAC Championships in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (Coeur d’Alene Resort). WWU is the defending GNAC champions winning the tournament with a tournament record tying score of 15 under par. The Vikings have advanced to the NCAA II West/South Central Super Regional 18 consecutive seasons.
“We will have a solid couple of weeks focusing on our short game, course management and driving as we prepare for the GNAC Championships,” added Bennett. “It’s very close for these guys. I am very proud of the way they work, we just need to dial it in a little bit more.”
WWU finished the spring portion of the 2016-17 season with four top-5 finishes in all four tournaments.
— @WWUMGolf —
