Thursday, May 6, 2021

DUPONT, Wash. – Garrett Woodin’s lowest round of the season entering the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional was a 1-under-par 71. He shattered that number on Thursday at The Home Course in DuPont, Washington.

The Montana State Billings senior leads the field after the first round after carding a 4-under-par 68. Woodin shot par or better on every hole, including three birdies on the front nine and a birdie on the back nine. The Yellowjackets, led by Woodin, will enter the second round in first place with a score of 4-under-par 284.

Freshman Kevin Kolb and junior Riley Kaercher finished in a six-way tie for 10th place with scores of 1-under-par 71 to back up Woodin. Kolb had four birdies on the day, including back-to-back on the 13th and 14th holes. Kaercher’s 71 is tied for his best round of the season.

Saint Martin’s is right behind the Yellowjackets, finishing the opening round in second place, one stroke back, at 3-under-par 285. Senior Tyler Fitchett, the GNAC Player of the Year, paced the Saints in a tie for second place with Colorado Mesa’s Pablo Diaz at 3-under-par 69, which tied his low round of the season. Fitchett had four birdies and just one bogey.

Junior Max Turnquist also represented the Saints well, finishing Thursday tied for 10th place at 1-under-par 71. His day also included four birdies, including two straight on the fifth and sixth holes.

Western Washington sits in a tie for fourth place with Sonoma State after one round with a score of 3-over-par 291. The Vikings are one stroke back of third-place Western New Mexico.

Junior Brody Bonfilio is one stroke back of Fitchett as he finished the round in a six-way tie for fourth place at 2-under-par 70. Bonfilio opened the round with two consecutive bogeys but bounced back to birdie the next three holes. He finished Thursday with six birdies. Freshman Drew Halili also played well as he sits in a 14-way tie for 16th place at even-par 72.

Northwest Nazarene rounds out the GNAC field. The Nighthawks sit in 14th place out of 16 teams with a score of 299. The Nighthawks were led by sophomore Cole Evarts, who carded an even-par 72 to come into that same 14-way tie for 16th place.

The second round begins on Friday at 7:30 a.m. (PT) at The Home Course, which was also the home of the 2021 GNAC Golf Championships.