By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's golf team will battle Whitworth University and Pacific Lutheran University for the 2018-19 Northwest Conference Championship during the NWC Tournament in men's golf on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 at Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington. This weekend's schedule features one round each day for a total of 36 holes.

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. Whitworth won the Fall Classic and the Spring Classic. The Bearcats took second place at the Fall Classic and placed third at the Spring Classic. The Lutes were third at the Fall Classic and finished second at the Spring Classic.

Whitworth leads the NWC standings with 16 points. Willamette and Pacific Lutheran are tied for second with 13 points. Points from the NWC Tournament this weekend will be awarded on a 16-14-12-etc. basis. Whitworth can clinch the title by winning or placing second at the NWC Tournament. Willamette or Pacific Lutheran can win the overall championship by taking first place this weekend while finishing at least two spots in front of Whitworth.

Entering the weekend, George Fox University is fourth in the standings with 10 points, while Linfeld College and University of Puget Sound are tied for fifth place with 7 points. Lewis & Clark College follows in seventh place with 4 points, Pacific University is eighth with 1 point and Whitman College is ninth with 0 points.

The three tournaments involved in the overall NWC Championship also are used to determine the NWC Player of the Year and the All-Northwest Conference Team.

Competing this weekend for the Bearcats will be Trent Jones (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Shorecrest HS), Kenneth Sheldon (Sr., Ocean Park, WA/Ilwaco HS), Sam Hinton (Sr., Seaside, OR/Seaside HS), Austin Davis (Fr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Andrew Kibbee (Fr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS).

Jones will tee off on Saturday at 11:40 a.m. in a threesome with Isaac Grebisz from Linfield and Tom Hoyne from Whitman. Sheldon will start at 11:50 a.m. in a group with Jackson Hval of Linfield and Luc Birchfield of Whitman. At 12 p.m., Hinton will tee off in a group that includes Linfield's Ben Bohanon and Matt Bowman of Whitman. Davis is set to begin at 12:10 p.m. in a threesome with Walter Sherry of Linfield and Nick Xiang of Whitman. Kibbee will get underway at 12:20 p.m. in a group with Matt McClure from Linfield and Carl Felstiner of Whitman.