Bearcats Headed to Kennewick, Wash., for NWC Championship Tournament

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's golf team will be competing at the Northwest Conference Championship Tournament this weekend in Kennewick, Wash., at the Canyon Lakes Golf Course. The first round will be held on Friday, April 22 with the second round set for Saturday, April 23. Par is 72 for the 6,935-yard course.

Willamette has a young team with four freshman among the golfers likely to participate in the NWC Championship.

Leading the Bearcats is Jacob Simonson (Fr., Fairview, OR/Reynolds HS). Simonson shot a 78 in the second round of the Pacific Spring Invitational last weekend.

Other freshmen likely to participate in the tournament are Cole Altuzarra (Laguna Niguel, CA/Dana Hills HS), Cole Clearman (Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS) and Kyle Derby (Oakdale, CA/Oakdale HS).

The only junior set to compete for the Bearcats is Brendan Dineen (Portland, OR/Grant HS).

Contenders for the individual championship are Max Bonk of Pacific University, Yutaro Sakamoto, Alex Fitch, and A.J. Taylor from Linfield College, and Matt Kitto and Riley Conlin from the University of Puget Sound.

Bonk won the NWC Fall Classic with a score of 139 (73-66) at the Juniper Golf Course in Redmond, Ore. He also won the NWC Spring Classic by carding a 36-hole total of 147 (72-75) at The Links at Hawks Prairie in Lacey, Wash.

The NWC Championship Tournament is worth 50% of the overall NWC team title. The NWC Fall Classic is worth 25% and the NWC Spring Classic is worth 25%.

Heading into this weekend's competition, the overall standings are: 1. Puget Sound (15), 2. Linfield (14), 3. Pacific (13), 4. Whitworth (10), 5. Whitman (8), 6. Pacific Lutheran (6), 7. George Fox (4), 8. Willamette (2), 9. Lewis & Clark (0).