CORNING, Calif. – The Western Washington University men's golf team finished 2nd at the Chico State Wildcat Classic with the two-day tournament at The Links at Rolling Hills wrapping up Tuesday.

 

WWU shot a 2-over-par team round of 290 in the final round for the second-best score of the day, trailing only tournament winner Stanislaus State's even-par 288. The Vikings were nine strokes back of the Warriors, and were 12 strokes better than 3rd-place Academy of Art.

 

"In similar conditions – brutal conditions – the guys came out firing today and at one point were on top of the leaderboard. The team played with a lot of heart and great effort today," said WWU Assistant Coach Sean Packer. "Hats off to Stanislaus State with its even-par round to help get the victory."

 

The Vikings placed all five players in the top 20 in the 62-player field, with senior Aidan Thain and freshman Conrad Brown tying for 4th place at 6-over-par 150. Thain turned in the Vikings low round of the tournament with a 1-under-par 71 on Tuesday, highlighted by an eagle and pair of birdies. 

 

"Firing an under-par round in these conditions is pretty special and very proud of Aidan for his play today," added Packer. "Conrad played well from the start to finish and it is great to see him step right in and make an impact."

 

Junior Jordan Lee tied for 11th place at 8-over-par 152 (79-73) and sophomore Cody Oakes tied for 15th at 11-over-par 155 (82-73). Freshman Cole Reynolds rounded out the top-20 performances tied for 20th at 13-over-par 157 (81-76).

 

"Jordan's start to today's round was pretty phenomenal (4-under-par on the front nine). His presence really helps the other guys on the team," said Packer. "And Cody made a couple of late birdies to come home with a very solid 73. Great team golf all the way around and looking forward to a strong fall finish next week in Monterey."

 

The planned 54-hole tournament was shortened to 36 holes after strong wind gusts cancelled Monday's planned second round. The field again battled blustery conditions over the final half of Tuesday's final round.

 

Matthew Watkins of Academy of Art earned a wire-to-wire victory for individual medalist honors, finishing at 2-over-par 146 (72-74) for a one-stroke win over Brad Sparrer of Stanislaus State.

 

Here is a look at WWU's individual results and the team leaderboard from the Chico State Wildcat Classic:

 

 

WWU concludes the four-tournament fall schedule next week at the Otter Invitational hosted by Cal State Monterey Bay. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be played October 18-19 on the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside, California.

 

Here is a look at the complete 2021-22 schedule for the WWU Men's Golf program, which includes four fall and four spring tournaments leading up to the GNAC Championships. All tournament recaps, season statistics and program history can be found on WWUVikings.com/MGolf.

 

 

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 22 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 16 NCAA All-Americans and has won 9 of 13 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 13 tournaments.