Guthrie, Young Each Lead After First Rounds
PORTLAND, Ore. - It is deja vu all over again for the Whitworth University golf teams. Just as they were two weeks ago at the NWC Spring Classic, the Pirate men and women find themselves leading after the first round of the 2010 NWC Championship Tournament on Saturday at Heron Lakes GC. The Whitworth women hope to reverse the previous trends, while the Pirate men hope to repeat the results from two weeks ago. The Pirate women (332) lead sixth-ranked George Fox (336) by four strokes after the first round on the Greenback course at Heron Lakes. Emily Guthrie is the individual leader at the halfway point after she shot 80 on Saturday. She is one stroke ahead of Head Tate from Whitman and two strokes up on her own teammate - Rachel Dubes. Click here for Saturday's women's results. Whitworth also had a first round lead in both the women's Fall Classic and the women's Spring Classic two weeks ago, but the nationally-ranked Bruins were able to rally on the second day to pull ahead of the Pirates. Whitworth hopes the third time is the charm when the results matter most. A win at this tournament would give the Bucs the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The other first round scores for the Pirate women: Elizabeth Martin (84, tied for 7th), Mariesa Stombaugh (86, tied for 15th), Emily Travis (87, tied for 20th) and Krystal Pitkonen (88, tied for 22nd). There are 49 women in the field. The team scores through the first round: Whitworth 332, George Fox 336, Linfield 339, Whitman 344, Puget Sound 345, Pacific (Ore.) 349, Pacific Lutheran 370, Willamette 418, Lewis & Clark 465. It cannot get any closer between the Whitworth men (309) and the Linfield men (310), both in terms of Saturday's play and the overall standings in the NWC. Whichever of the two finishes higher at this tournament will win the Northwest Conference title and the NCAA automatic bid that comes with it. The two schools came into the weekend tied atop the conference standings. Whitworth's Ryan Young is the individual leader after round round. He shot a two-over 74 in the gusty conditions on the Great Blue course. He leads a trio of Linfield players and teammate Cameron Whittle by two strokes. Click here for Saturday's men's results. The rest of the Whitworth men's scores: Jeff Aly (79, tied for 7th), Christian Boudreau (79, tied for 7th), Jared Descoteaux (80, tied for 14th), Josh Kay (88, tied for 41st). There are 50 men's players. The men's team scores through round one: Whitworth 309, Linfield 310, Puget Sound 318, Whitman 321, Pacific and Pacific Lutheran 323, George Fox 327, Willamette 358, Lewis & Clark 369. The 2010 NWC Tournament counts 50% toward the final conference golf standings. The previous NWC Fall Classic and NWC Spring Classic each counted 25%. Go to Athletics Home Page > Golf > Sports Releases > |
