Monday, April 24, 2023

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Simon Fraser’s Ryan Hodgins set GNAC history on the first day of the 2023 GNAC Men’s Golf Championships by sinking the first albatross in tournament history in the second round.

Hodgins drained his albatross during the best round of the day, closing the day with a score of 3-under-par 68. The strong finish to the day lifted Hodgins into contention for individual honors as he finished the day in second place with a two-round score of even-par 142.

After a day of battling the elements, both Western Washington and  Jordan Lee lead the field by two strokes. Lee led the Vikings and the conference with a two-round score of 2-under-par 140, two strokes clear of the second-place Hodgins. Lee was the only golfer in the conference to card a par or better score in the first round as windy conditions created an extra challenge for the athletes. He finished the first round with a score of 1-under-par 71.

As the weather eased later in the day, Lee rounded into form, shooting a 2-under-par 69 for the second-best round of the day. Lee shot under par for five holes in the final round, leading Western Washington to a score of 583 after two rounds.

Hodgins finished the day in second place with a two-round score of even-par 142, one stroke ahead of third-place Cody Oakes from Western Washington. Oakes carded a score of 1-over-par 143 as one of two WWU golfers to finish in the top five.

Rounding out the top five were Montana State Billings senior Dawson Strobel and Simon Fraser senior Aidan Goodfellow in a tie for fourth with scores of 3-over-par 145. Goodfellow led the pair with a low round of 1-under-par 70 to end the day while Strobel led all Montana State Billings golfers with a low round of 1-over-par 72 in the second round.

Western Washington leads the way in the team standings with a two-round score of 583, two strokes ahead of second-place Simon Fraser’s score of 585. Saint Martin’s leads the chasing pack with a two-round score of 606 heading into the final day of the tournament.

The GNAC Men’s Golf Championships conclude tomorrow with the final round beginning at 7:30 a.m. The team champion will receive the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Live stats can be found at GNACSports.com.