Bearcats Win Willamette Spring Thaw, as Jones Earns Individual Title at 6-Under
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications, (503) 370-6110
PENDLETON, Ore. -- Trent Jones (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Shorecrest HS) won the individual championship at the Willamette Spring Thaw with a 36-hole score of 6-under-par 138, and the Bearcats grabbed the team title at 569, edging out Whitworth University by one stroke, as the tournament concluded on Saturday, April 20 at the Wildhorse Golf Course.
Jones shot a 4-under-par 68 in the first round and added a 2-under-par 70 in the second round to finish at 6-under. Jones won by one stroke over teammate Austin Davis (Fr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Sam Stiles of Whitworth, who tied for second place a t139. Davis carded rounds of 70 and 69, while Stiles shot 69 and 70.
Two golfers from Corban University's "B" team tied for fourth place at 141. Isaac Calderon and Marcus Frazier each shot 69-72 for the Warriors. Sixth place was a tie between Whitworth golfers Derrick Phelps and Preston Roth at 143. Phelps earned scores of 70 and 73, while Roth shot 69 and 74. Sam Hinton (Sr., Seaside, OR/Seaside HS) of Willamette held eighth place on his own at 144 (71-73).
In the team standings, Willamette overcame a four-stroke deficit at the end of the first day to claim the Bearcats' one-stroke win. Willamette's score of 569 included a 283 in the first round and a 286 in the second round. Whitworth, which led after the first round at 279, shot 291 in the second round and finished at 570. The Corban "B" team was third at 590 (387-303) and Whitworth's "B" team was fourth at 593 (291-302). George Fox University placed fifth at 596 (302-294), Linfield College was sixth at 607 (297-310), and Corban's "C" team was seventh at 629 (319-310).
Kenneth Sheldon (Sr., Ocean Park, WA/Ilwaco HS) of Willamette was one of four golfer's tied for 13th. He shot 74 in both rounds for a two-day total of 148. Andrew Kibbee (Fr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) of WU carded a 75 in the first round and a 79 in the second round for a final score of 154.
Willamette will compete at the Northwest Conference Tournament on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 at the Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington. The NWC Tournament is worth one-half of the overall NWC Championship. The NWC Fall Classic and the NWC Spring Classic, each worth one-fourth of the title, have already been completed. With only the NWC Tournament remaining, Whitworth, Willamette and Pacific Lutheran have a reasonable chance to win the title after each placed in the top three at the first two tournaments.
Big Moment of the Day for Willamette
It was another great day at the Willamette Spring Thaw for
Trent Jones on Sunday at the Wildhorse Golf Course. He shot
a 2-under-par 70 to finish the tournament in first place with a
score of 6-under-par 138. He won by one stroke and helped
the Bearcats win the team title by one stroke. Willamette shot
569 overall (283-286).