Bearcats Prepare for NCAA Golf Championship at Mission Inn Resort in Florida
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will be competing at its third consecutive national tournament in men's golf when the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship begins on Tuesday, May 10 at the Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. The 72-hole tournament will continue through Friday, May 13. Willamette earned 13th place at the 2019 NCAA Championship held at the Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and the Bearcats tied for 11th at the 2021 NCAA Championship at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, West Virginia. No championship event was held in 2020 .
The 2022 NCAA Championship will feature 43 teams and an additional six individuals for a total of 221 golfers. This year's event will be hosted by Oglethorpe University (Ga.) and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. A total of 32 teams received automatic bids by winning conference championships, including Willamette as the Northwest Conference champion. Two at-large bids went to independents or to teams in conferences without automatic bids. Nine at-large bids went to the top remaining teams.
After the teams conclude the second round on Wednesday, May 11, the field will be reduced to the top 18 teams plus the top six individual golfers who are not on one of the advancing teams. The reduced field of 96 golfers will compete in the final two rounds on Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13. Final standings will include all four rounds.
Competing for Willamette at the NCAA Championship will be Austin Davis (Sr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS), Andrew Kibbee (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS), Alex Weirth (Sr., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy), Paxton Jones (Fy., Wellington, NZ/Scots College), and Riley Lankford (Sr., Pilot Rock, OR/Pilot Rock HS). Davis and Kibbee will be golfing at an NCAA Championship for the third time, while Weirth and Lankford will be competing at their second NCAA Championship, and Jones will be at the NCAA event for the first time.
The Bearcats will play at the Las Colinas course in the first round on Tuesday, May 10 starting on the 10th tee at 8:20 a.m. EDT/5:20 a.m. PDT and on the El Campeon course on Wednesday, May 11 starting on the 1st tee at 12:35 p.m. EDT/9:35 a.m. PDT. Teams making the cut will play the last two rounds at El Campeon (times TBA).
In addition, the Bearcats will put in practice rounds on Sunday, May 8 at El Campeon starting on the 16th tee at 9:45 a.m. EDT/6:45 a.m. PDT and on Monday, May 9 at Las Colinas starting on the 1st tee at 8:30 a.m. EDT/5:30 a.m. PDT.
Bearcats Return to NCAA Tournament for Third Straight Season
Willamette is set to participate in the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship for the third consecutive season. It is Willamette's 11th appearance in a national championship event in men's golf. The Bearcats earned their best finish at the national level last year when they tied for 11th at the 2021 NCAA Championship. Their previous best result was 13th place at the 2019 NCAA Championship. Prior to joining the NCAA for the 1998-99 athletic year, the Bearcats qualified for the NAIA Men's Golf Championship eight times. Willamette placed 14th at the NAIA Championship in 1975 and 1976.
The Bearcats have had an extra bit of preparation this season after playing at the Mission Inn Resort and Club during the three rounds of the NCAA Division III Preview this past September. Willamette took 12th place out of 24 teams at the preview event.
"Mission Inn Resort has two fantastic golf courses, and getting to play them both in the fall is definitely worth something," Willamette Head Men's Golf Coach Patrick Daugherty said. "I don't know if it will be the travel schedule, where we are staying, or just knowing the course layouts, or all of the little things combined, but something is beneficial from having gone in September to the DIII Preview."
"Having played at Mission Inn in the fall puts us way ahead in our preparation for the championship," Weirth commented. "Knowing every hole and having played competition down there already puts us a step ahead of others who haven't, and it plays a huge role in having good practice rounds over the weekend."
"The most important thing is that we have seen the course before and don't have to do as much preparatory work in the practice rounds," Davis said. "We can focus on staying calm and making a game plan rather than learning a completely new course."
Although the Bearcats are familiar with the Mission Inn courses, the NCAA Championship will be a challenging tournament against other top teams.
"It's a pair of tough golf courses," Kibbee noted. "Coming from the Pacific Northwest, the golf courses down in Florida are a challenge. The grass is different and the elevation is a lot flatter. People who don't play golf may think different grass is nothing to worry about, but the grain and speed of those greens is something we will need to focus on."
The Bearcats are excited to compete at the NCAA Championship for a third season in a row. Willamette's golfers also look forward to playing on two courses where they've already competed. Even so, they know it will take lots of work and effort to make a successful run toward the top of the standings.
"I don't take for granted that this is our third time," Daugherty commented. "It's still new and exciting and challenging. The things that become easier when having some experience are balancing practices and final exams, making travel schedules, knowing when to order things and book things ... and to not get caught up in the whirlwind of a conference championship and then nationals. It feels much calmer this time around. We are extremely excited to get back, and I think this team and this program will always feel like it has some unfinished business at the NCAA's. The team is hungry to compete, and we can't wait."
Recent top individual finishes for the Bearcats at the NCAA Championship include Kibbee tying for 15th place in 2021, Davis tying for 24th place in 2019, Weirth tying for 31st place in 2021, Samuel Hinton tying for 32nd in 2019, and Davis tying for 40th place in 2021. Other top results for the Bearcats were Aunders Erickson (Grad., Portland, OR/Westview HS/Ohio Wesleyan Univ.) tying for 57th place in 2021, Trent Jones and Kenneth Sheldon tying for 74th in 2019, and Kibbee placing 88th in 2019.
What Going to the NCAA Championship Means to the Bearcats
Four of the five Willamette golfers on this year's national tournament team have been to the NCAA Championship at least one time in the past. They know what to expect, in general, and have been through the overall process. Still, it's exciting for all of the Bearcats to be going to this year's championship event.
"To me, competing this year at the NCAA Championship is a chance to show how good we are as a team and just how deep our top five guys are," Weirth said. "Any chance to showcase the program on a national level is a huge opportunity and we are looking forward to it."
"It's an honor to compete in this year's national championship," Davis affirmed. "It's the biggest stage for our division of golf and to represent Willamette and the Northwest Conference is an honor."
"It means a lot to me to be able to compete for my third opportunity at a national Championship," Kibbee added. "Austin and I have worked extremely hard to get to this point for three-and-a-half years now, and there isn't any better time than the present to go out and compete to win the national title."
Experience can make a big difference at a national championship tournament. Willamette is fortunate to have lots of experience, both at the NCAA Championship level and from competing in regular season and NWC events the past few seasons.
"Each year I come back to the NCAA Championship I get a bit more experience on how to handle the big moment," Davis commented. "The nerves will be there and it's important to recognize that. Competing there before gives me confidence to play well and to trust myself."
"Both national tournaments I have competed in have allowed me the recognition that it's just another tournament," Kibbee said. "As a first-timer in 2018-19, it was easy to over-hype the event and over-complicate things. I am looking forward to going out to the course, knowing that I belong there and have the ability to simplify things to shoot some low scores."
Weirth, making his second trip to the national event, also was glad to have gained experience at last year's NCAA Championship.
"I think that having one national championship under my belt helps my mindset coming into the tournament," he said. "The experience and everything that comes with it can be overwhelming the first time around, but having played in last year's event helps the returners focus on what needs to get done in preparation and during the tournament."
A Chance to Compete Alongside Teammates at a National Tournament
With a team bid to the NCAA Championship, each of Willamette's golfers participating in the tournament will have four teammates to share the experience along with Coach Daugherty. There's an extra level of comfort, knowing that you're not competing alone.
"Going to the tournament with the team as opposed to having to compete by myself is an amazing feeling ... to be backed by a solid group of guys," Weirth said. "Not to mention that the guys I am competing with by my side are the best in our conference and some of the top players in the country for NCAA Division III."
"As an individual, it's tough knowing that you are in an unfamiliar place, playing with unfamiliar competitors, etc.," Kibbee noted. "On our team, we put the team competition first. It's easy in golf to write it off as an 'individual sport'. It's not. We have an amazing opportunity to compete for a national title as a team, and that's what we will do."
What the Bearcats Remember from Previous Trips to the NCAA Championship
In two previous trips to the NCAA Championship, Davis and Kibbee were able to form some significant memories. Weirth and Lankford both attended the 2021 NCAA Championship.
"The things I enjoy the most are the camaraderie with my teammates and friends as well as competing against the other great teams around the country," Davis recalled.
"I enjoyed getting to travel and see places I would never have normally seen," Kibbee said. "In Kentucky and West Virginia, we got to play some amazing courses, and we are blessed to be able to do that again in Florida."
"My favorite part of competing in the 2021 NCAA Championship was getting to experience the top level of competition in Division III golf," Weirth commented. "Just going out there with the guys and playing our best to make a name for Willamette on a national level was a great feeling."
Bearcats Win NWC Tournament and Overall NWC Championship
Willamette won their third straight overall NWC Championship by placing first at the NWC Fall Classic, taking second place at the NWC Spring Classic, and winning the NWC Tournament at Creekside Golf Club in Salem, Oregon, on April 23-24. At the NWC Tournament, Willamette shot even-par 576 for 36 holes with a 292 in the first round and a 284 in the second round. The Bearcats won the NWC Tournament by 32 strokes.
"Something to consider and put into perspective how special this conference championship was, is that each school only hosts the conference championship once every nine years," Daugherty noted. "It is an incredibly small chance to get to host the NWC Tournament and have the opportunity to win the conference championship. So putting it into perspective, it was very special. A lot of things have to go right. We put ourselves in a great position by finishing first in the Fall Classic and second in the Spring Classic."
"Creekside Golf Club is not an 'easy' place to compete," Daugherty added. "It's far from a simple layout, but it lends itself to be scoreable with well-placed tee shots and approaches. The fact that Creekside is our home course was definitely an advantage. Where most teams were seeing the golf course for the first time on Friday at the practice round, we play it every day. I have four-year starters who have probably played it over a hundred times."
Willamette led the tournament by five strokes over Whitworth University at the end of the first round. The Pirates held a lead early in the first round, but the Bearcats rallied.
"I felt like Saturday was going really well," Daugherty remembered. "I mean, we shot 4-over, an average of 1-over for the top four scores. That's incredible. But the guys gave me the body language and impression that they did not play to their potential at home, and reflecting, rightfully so. Whitworth was still out on the course ... they were in the wave behind us, and had a one-stroke lead with six holes left to play.
"I know Creekside isn't a walk in the park, but did the nerves of Round 1 get to us? One by one, as the guys finished, I gave them a hug, handshake, and congrats on a good starting day," Daugherty said. "We met as a team to discuss ... where I thought we would be. My only message was that Whitworth had a one-stroke lead with a few tough holes to come in. I told the team to be prepared to be tied, just like the Spring Classic after Round 1, and we'd get our shot at them tomorrow. Those six holes ... have what I would call 'round wrecker' holes. On any of the closing four holes, your even-par round can get sideways. Whitworth finished the six holes at 6-over, giving us a five-stroke lead going into Round 2.
Daugherty looked to his upperclassmen to lead the way in the second round.
"I know, in order for us to be at our best, and to score well, we need our upperclassmen (Austin, Andrew, Alex) to play well. Paxton and Riley and even Jack McMullin (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) from the fall, provide a great compliment to those three commanding performances. But in the end, it rests on those three shoulders.
"What Andrew Kibbee did on Sunday, was with a lack of better words, heroic," Daugherty added. "He shot a 77 on Saturday then a 67 on Sunday. He came out absolutely firing on all cylinders. And I know for a fact, his energy, his feel, gave everyone confidence. We had seven birdies in the first four holes, and 12 in the first nine. I think that level of play at the beginning of the round put it away, I really do. What started out as a 5-stroke lead turned into 20 after nine holes. I knew we couldn't let up, but I let the guys know it's ours. I am confident that all the close tournaments and tournaments we felt were 'big', prepared us to play in this conference championship at home.
"I am really proud of how the guys stepped up and took charge. They didn't sit back and hope a team didn't play well, or got bad breaks. They played like they were there to win it," Daugherty concluded.
Davis earned first place individually with a 36-hole score of 2-under par 142 (72-70). Kibbee (77-67) and Weirth (71-73) tied for third place at 144. Jones tied for eighth at 150 (72-78) and Lankford tied for 12th at 152 (78-74). Davis was named NWC Player of the Year and First Team All-NWC. Also receiving First Team All-NWC honors were Kibbee and Weirth. Jones was chosen Second Team All-NWC.
"We got the job done," Kibbee said regarding the NWC Championship. "We knew what we needed to do to win, and we went out and executed on our home course. Going to Nationals gives us the ability to do the same thing, set a game plan in place, and go out and execute that plan. "
"I think winning the conference this year was a great achievement as a team, but that was never the paramount goal of the season," Weirth noted. "I know our team's goal this year is to play the best golf we can at a national level and see how far that can take us."