Kukula Earns Medalist Honors With Career-Low Round at Season-Opener

By Mark Colachico, Interim Assistant Athletics Communications Director

BANKS, ORE. -- Ryan Kukula (Sr., Ocean Park, WA/Illwaco HS) erased a one-shot deficit with a single-round, career-low six-under 64 to win the Pacific Fall Opener by eight strokes, as Willamette University's men's golf team finished second overall. The two-day event was played at Quail Valley Golf Course located west of Portland.

Entering the second and final round, Kukula was one stroke behind first round co-leaders Austin Billeter of Whitworth University (Wash.) and Willamette's Peter Mitzel (So., Red Bluff, CA/Red Bluff HS). Over the tournament's final 18 holes, Kukula was the only player to break par en route to finishing with a 36-hole score of five-under 135 (71-64). Today's win is Kukula's sixth over the past three seasons.

"I think Ryan's leadership and his seniority is what was his strength to be one stroke off the lead going into day #2 and to really focus in and to have the best round -- one day total -- that I've seen in my time here by any person in our conference," said Head Coach Patrick Daugherty. "A 64 today was just incredible. I'm just really excited for him as a senior. That's something that we're going to build on."

As a team, Willamette lowered its score from the opening round but could not erase a seven-stroke deficit heading into the second and final round. The Bearcats concluded the tournament with a combined team score of 24-over 584 (293-291) to finish behind first-round leaders and tournament champions Whitworth (286-290=576). Rounding out the teams on the final leader board were George Fox University (300-296=596), Lewis & Clark College (304-303=607), Linfield College's 'B' Team (307-306=613), Linfield's 'A' Team (309-307=616), Whitman College (318-303=621), and tournament-host Pacific University of Oregon (333-336=669).

"For the course conditions, the guys came out very well to compete for the first tournament of the fall," commented Daugherty. "They were ready to go, no surprises. More impressive was their day #2 to just hold their position. Whitworth had an outstanding day, I was just so pleased with how our guys competed."

First round co-leader Peter Mitzel (So., Red Bluff, CA/Red Bluff HS) posted a final round score of 5-over 75 to fall into a three-way tie for fourth individually finishing the tournament with a two-day total of 5-over 145 (70-75).

Clark Wilson (So., Ocean Park, WA/Illwaco HS), who was one stroke off the leader after the opening round, concluded the season-opening event in a three-way tie for seventh place after the second-year Bearcat carded a 36-hole score of 6-over 146 (71-75).

Rounding out the Bearcats'squad was Steven Rodriguez (Jr., Red Bluff, CA/Mercy HS) and Jonathan Ross (Sr., Tukwila, WA/Foster HS). Rodriguez was part of Willamette's scoring quartet with a two-round score of 18-over 158 (81-77) that was good for 29th place overall, while Ross finished 31st overall with a two-day score of 21-over 161 (82-79).

Chase Lamothe (So., Corvallis, OR/Corvallis HS), who competed for the Bearcats as an individual, finished 18th overall with a combined score of 12-over 152 (76-76).

Along with Kukula, the Top 5 individuals included three players from Whitworth - Andrew Dodge (72-71=143), Oliver Rudnicki (72-71=143), and Billeter (70-75=145) - along with George Fox's Halen Davis (75-70=145) and Mitzel.

Willamette returns to the links on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 & 12, at the Culturame Classic hosted by George Fox University. The two-day tournament will be played at The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon. The players will tee off beginning at 11 a.m. (PST) on Saturday and 10 a.m. (PST) on Sunday.