By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's golf team won the 2020-21 Northwest Conference Championship by placing second at the NWC Fall Classic, taking first place at the NWC Spring Classic, and finishing second at the NWC Tournament. It was the Bearcats' second consecutive NWC Championship after winning the title in 2018-19. The NWC did not award a championship in 2019-20 after COVID-19 cut the season short.
By winning the NWC Championship, the Bearcats have qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship. The national tournament will be held at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, from May 11 through May 14.
"What this team was able to accomplish in such a short time (no fall season events) and under the adverse circumstances is just awesome," Willamette Head Men's Golf Coach Patrick Daugherty said. "I mean it really is. I am at a loss for words to put it in perspective. This group of guys, are all team-first and collectively continue to push each other to get better. We had no idea where this season would take us. We left the door wide open, and once we first competed, we started to get that feeling of excitement."
The season began with the Pacific Spring Invitational on March 13-14. The Bearcats won the event with a score of 600 (300-300) and prevailed by 23 strokes.
"It was, in my opinion, the best-case scenario to start the season. We got a win (right) off the bat and got our journey started," Daugherty noted.
Willamette trailed only Pacific Lutheran University at this year's NWC Fall Classic (held this spring). One week later, Willamette finished in front of the Lutes at NWC Spring Classic with a score of 578 (285-293).
"Getting second place at the Fall Classic was really good for us, too," Daugherty commented. "It gave us a great gauge of where we were and what our potential was.
"We went into the Spring Classic with a very short turnaround," Daugherty added. "As a matter of fact, we only had two days of practice, but the guys were really focused. I think we felt confident going in, but definitely respected the field of players and the competition. When we won by 12 strokes, that absolutely catapulted the confidence. The team chemistry was already really good and that win just took it to another level."
After the first day of the NWC Tournament, the Bearcats were in first place at 300 with Whitworth University in second place at 309, George Fox University in third at 315, and Pacific Lutheran in fourth at 316. Due to the NWC's point system for determining the overall championship, Willamette's coaches and golfers knew that in order to claim the NWC Championship, the Bearcats had to keep PLU behind them throughout the second round while not allowing two other teams to move in front.
Whitworth, playing on its home course, shot extremely well in the second round of the NWC Tournament and eventually took the lead at the Kalispel Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Washington. The Pirates won the tournament on the strength of shooting 287 over the final 18 holes for a total score of 596. Willamette placed second at 602, while GFU was third at 621, and PLU was fourth at 629.
"Of course we wanted to cap off the regular season with a win, but with about six holes left to play Whitworth was making an incredible run," Daugherty commented. "Sure enough, three holes later they took the lead and never looked back.
"Needless to say, we knew how the system worked and knew we didn't have to win (the NWC Tournament)," Daugherty said. "We only had to finish in front of Pacific Lutheran, which at this point was a sure thing that we would do. We just couldn't finish third behind Whitworth and George Fox. We had a big enough lead over GFU with three holes to go that we knew we had second place locked up as well as the conference championship."
Willamette won the overall NWC title by earning 29 points from the three events. Whitworth finished with 27 points and placed second overall. Pacific Lutheran recorded a total of 25 points to place third in the championship race, while George Fox took fourth place overall with 23 points.
"The guys all day Sunday were totally in a team mentality and it was just really cool to be around," Daugherty recalled. "I absolutely love the way they carry themselves, their character and their competitiveness. They really respect the field of players and all the other coaches, and just do it with such class. In a crazy year, they won two events, and had two second place finishes. We are incredibly excited to represent the Northwest Conference at the NCAA Championship."
