DUPONT, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's golf team opened the 2019-20 season with a third-place finish at the Saint Martin's Invitational played Friday and Saturday at The Home Course.

 

WWU shot under par in all three rounds of the 54-hole tournament, finishing at 8-under-par 856 to tie with tournament host Saint Martin's in 3^rd place. The Vikings recorded a team score of 5-under-par 283 in Saturday's final round, after posting scores of 287 (-1) and 286 (-2) on Friday. 

 

Simon Fraser ran away with the team title finishing at 31-under-par 833, recording a 16-stroke victory over 2^nd-place Dixie State (-15, 849). Stanislaus State rounded out the top five at 6-under-par 858, followed closely by Academy of Art and the University of British Columbia at 5-under-par 859. 

 

WWU senior Ethan Casto (Snohomish, WA) fired a final-round 6-under-par 66, including seven birdies and an eagle, to finish in a tie for second place at 11-under-par 205. He was one stroke behind individual medalist Ethan de Graaf from UBC, who turned in three consecutive rounds of 4-under-par 68 to finish at 12-under 204. Casto's 11-under-par scores is tied for the 6^th-lowest in program history (relative to par) for a 54-hole tournament, and the second-best of his career trailing only a 15-under-par performance at last year's Mustang Intercollegiate in Goodyear, Arizona.

 

Junior Brody Bonfilio (Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly) tied for 28^th place following his even-par round of 72 on Saturday (76-69-72=217) and junior Austin Darnell (Mount Vernon, WA/PLU) tied for 33^rd at 2-over-par 218. Redshirt sophomore Devin Andrews (Kirkland, WA/Juanita) also shot under par on Saturday with a 1-under 71.

 

The No. 9 nationally-ranked Vikings will have a quick turnaround hosting the annual WWU Invitational Monday and Tuesday at Bellingham Golf & Country Club, with 36 holes planned for Monday and the 18-hole final round on Tuesday. More info on the 48^th Annual WWU Invitational can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.

 

Here is a look at the final results from the Saint Martin's Invitational played on The Home Course (par 72) in DuPont, WA.

 

 

Fans can follow the WWU Men's Golf program online at WWUVikings.com/MGolf, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUGolf), Instagram (@wwugolf) and Facebook (@WWUMGolf).

 

The WWU men's golf team has an incredible streak of advancing to the NCAA Championships in each of the 21 seasons the program has competed at the NCAA Division II level dating back to the 1998-99 season, including a 3^rd-place finish at the 2013 national championship. The program has produced 17 All-Americans and has won 9 of 12 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships since the tournament debuted in 2008, including the 2019 title. The Vikings have also featured the GNAC Championships individual medalist in 8 of 12 tournaments, including 2018 champion Ethan Casto and 2019 champion Brody Bonfilio.