YAKIMA, Wash. - Whitworth stands in third place after the first day of play at the 2009 Northwest Conference Golf Tournament, hosted by Puget Sound at Apple Tree Golf Course. The Pirates, aiming for a first-ever NWC title in women's golf, don't need to win the tournament to secure the championship. But they are making things interesting.

Click here for the official NWC Tournament website.

Liz Martin

Whitworth's Liz Martin shot an 87 on Saturday to lead the Pirates. She currently is tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard. Rachel Dubes (92), Mariesa Stombaugh (97) and Alicia Bratlien (97) posted the three other individual scores that account for Whitworth's team score of 373.

The current tournament team scores are: Puget Sound 355, Linfield 365, Whitworth 373, George Fox 379, Pacific (Ore.) 388, Pacific Lutheran 446, Willamette 446, Whitman 449.

If those standings hold, Whitworth and UPS will share the 2009 Northwest Conference Championship, based on full-season results.

Sarah Bicker of UPS is the current individual leader with an 82.

The Pirates (16 points) have a four-point lead over Puget Sound (12 points) in the current standings. The NWC Fall Classic and NWC Spring Classic both count 25% toward the final conference standings, while the end-of-the-year NWC Tournament counts 50%.

Current NWC Golf Standings (Through NWC Spring Classic):
School	Fall Classic	Spring Classic	NWC Tourn.	Final
Whitworth	8	8	--	16
Puget Sound	5	7	--	12
Pacific (Ore.)	7	4	--	11
George Fox	6	5	--	11
Linfield	4	6	--	10
Willamette	2	3	--	5
Pacific Lutheran	3	0	--	3
Whitman	0	2	--	2
Lewis & Clark	0	0	--	0

NWC Spring Classic Results

Whitworth Golf Schedule / Results

Whitworth Roster