Sept. 11, 2012

Final Tournament Results

Tournament Recap

PULLMAN, Wash. - The Washington State men's golf team shot the best third-round team score in tournament history and had three players score below 70 in the final round, capturing the team title in the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate at Palouse Ridge Tuesday. The victory marks the first tournament team title for WSU under second-year head coach Garrett Clegg.

Cougar senior Hank Frame launched himself to the top of the leaderboard with a third-round score of 68, finishing in first place overall as the only player in the 69-athlete field to complete the tournament under par (-3). The victory is Frame's second-career tournament title. His 68 in the third round tied for the best single-round mark for the tournament. The Cougars joining Frame below the 70-stroke margin, with scores of 69 each, were Michael Anderson and Sang Lee.

WSU's third-round score of 278 was not only the best third round mark in tournament history, but was also the best team score for any single round of the tournament this year. The score put the team 10 strokes under par for the round, which is also the lowest third round score to par in tournament history. The Cougars' final tournament score to par was 11-over.

"Our guys did an amazing job," Clegg said. "They came out right off the bat and started really strong. We made the turn and there wasn't a player of ours over par. The front nine is the toughest nine out here, and the back nine is where you make your birdies. We just beat everybody on that front nine."

Washington State's closest competition, Pac-12 Conference opponent Arizona, sat 12 strokes behind in second place at the conclusion of the competition. The Wildcats finished at 23 strokes over par. For The WSU men's team, beating a Pac-12 opponent is a significant indicator of a tournament played well.

"It's a big confidence booster," Frame said. "The past couple years we may not have done as good in the Pac-12 as we wanted, so to play with a team and beat them by 12 shots lets us know that we can play with anybody."

Clegg added, "It's huge, especially because we've worked really hard and we came out and saw results. A lot of times in golf when you work hard it doesn't mean you are going to play that much better the next week. It was great to have all the hard work manifest itself in a really good tournament."

The WSU men also placed three competitors in addition to Frame in the top 10 on the player leaderboard. Kent Hagen, playing as an individual for the Collegiate, finished the tournament 4-over par and tied for fourth. Anderson and newcomer Blake Snyder finished at 6-over and 7-over, respectively. Anderson finished tied for eighth overall and Snyder tied for 10th.

Conditions proved far better for competitors at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Tuesday's final round. Warmer temperatures and milder winds led to consistently lower team scores, as every competing team but one shot its best single-round scores for the tournament.