Golf: Men Finish Second at Warrior Invitational

CLARKSTON, Wash. – Senior Captain Geoff Burks (Edmonds, WA) fired a 74 and the Missionaries improved two strokes as team on their first day total to secure an impressive second place finish at the Warrior Invitational yesterday at the Clarkston Golf Course and Country Club.

Burks’ second round score, paired with his opening round 77, gave him a team-low of 151 as the Whits finished at 620, a good 8 strokes in front of third place Whitworth and 22 behind host Lewis-Clark State (598).

Sophomore Scott Martin (Escondido, CA) shot two consecutive 76’s to finish one stroke behind Burks (152). Andrew Welch (Jr., Phoenix, AZ) carded a 156 with Daniel Hoffman (Fy., Los Altos, CA) and Jefferson Liu (Fy., Hong Kong, China) finishing out the scoring for Whitman with 161 and 178, respectively. (The top 5 scores for each team counting toward the team total).

Starting on the back-nine, Burks made the turn in 36. The front nine saw him ride a rollercoaster as he overcame a triple bogie with three consecutive birdies on the final three holes. “Geoff is starting to regain the form he had last fall”, said Coach Peter McClure. “He is gaining confidence with every round.”

Martin may have had the most unique moment of the tournament. On the par 4, 14^th hole, Martin’s approach shot hit a small branch on a tree limb, spun onto the green and proceeded to roll into the hole for an eagle 2.

“All in all, we had a very good tournament”, said McClure. “The guys continued to play smart golf, but more importantly, they are beginning to realize how good they can be.”

Kent Hagen of Washington State, who was playing as an individual, took medalist honors, firing rounds of 69 and 71 to finish at 140.

The Missionaries are back in action at the conference Spring Classic on April 6 at Gold Mountain Golf Course in Bremerton, Washington.

For complete tournament results click http://www.lcsc.edu/athletics/Golf/12-13/Press_Releases/viewNews.asp?ID=1918

Contact:

Andrew Holt

Whitman Sports Information Director

holtac@whitman.edu

509.527.5902