Thursday, October 9, 2014
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Montana State Billings men’s golf team had a good two weeks as it finished in first at the MSUB Invitational and then fourth at the Chico State InterWest Wildcat Classic Tuesday.
Yellowjacket freshman Austin Berg was one of only five golfers to hit under par in the Wildcat Classic, finishing in fourth place individually at two under, earning himself GNAC Golfer of the Week honors.
Berg had a three-round score of 214 after shooting rounds of 69, 72 and 73 and was only one stroke off from tying the third place finisher.
The 6,821 yard, par-72 course proved difficult for most of the teams as only 18 of the 84 players had a round that was under par.
Two of the 18 were on the Yellowjackets as senior Jack Hedge, who was chosen GNAC Golfer of the Week last week after winning the MSUB Fall Invitational, finished tied for 12th. Hedge shot a 71 in his second round while Berg had a 69 in the first.
As a team, the Yellowjackets placed fourth after a three-round score of 895. The winning school, Chico State, finished with a score of 865 and had three golfers finish in the top five of the event.
Northwest Nazarene also competed in the Classic, finishing in 11th with a score of 929. Connor Magnuson and Justin McAfee led the Crusaders, tying for 44th after each carding a 233.
Also on the links last week was Simon Fraser and Western Washington, which competed at the Golfweek Invitational in Sunriver, Ore.
Simon Fraser won the seven-team tournament at eight-over par while placing three individuals in the top five. John Mlikotic and Bret Thompson finished three-under par to tie for second place in the three-round, 7,152 yard Invitational while Kevin Vigna tied for fifth at Meadows Golf Club.
Western Washington had a good day as well, finishing in third place and only seven strokes behind the Clan. The Vikings also had three top five finishers. Kyle Schrader was the only Viking below par at 2 under, while Chris Hatch and Mark Strickland tied for fifth at one over.
At the MSUB Invitational, MSUB’s Hedge and Gage Huft led the Yellowjackets to the win. Shooting a 69 in the opening round, and Huft closing with a 69, the two forced a three-way tiebreaker. The trio played the 18th hole three times before Hedge eagled 18 on the third try to win the tournament.
MSUB had six golfers finish in the top 10, including Tanner Berg, Austin’s brother, finishing tied for fourth.
The only two teams competing next week are Montana State Billings and Saint Martin’s, which travel to the Sonoma State Intercollegiate on Monday and Tuesday in Rohnert Park, Calif. Simon Fraser and Western Washington will also take a voyage to California the following week as the teams participate in the Cal State Monterey Bay Invitational at the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside.