PULLMAN, Wash. - Following the lead of the football team from Saturday night, the Washington State men's golf team had a late come-back in their bags at home at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate as the Cougs chased down Boise State to claim the team tournament title Tuesday afternoon. Trailing by as much as 10 strokes throughout the day and three strokes heading into the final three holes, the Cougs found a way to make the shots needed down the stretch to overcome a seven-shot deficit heading into the final round of action. Overall, the Cougs came up with a final round 266, -18, to finish 33-under par for the tournament, one better than the Broncos.
"These guys from start to finish they were here this week," said head coach Dustin White. "They showed up. They played hard. Even when they saw a leaderboard here or there and saw that we were down by three or four shots it didn't seem to bother them. They kept at it and they played all the way until the end. That's what we talked about. There are only certain things you can control and that's attitude and focus and preparation. Obviously it's nice to win at home but this one maybe meant a little more coming from behind."
Leading the late charge for the Cougs, junior AJ Armstrong came up with his best round of the tournament as he fired off a 65(-6) including knocking in a pair of birdies on the final two holes of the afternoon to help WSU overtake Boise State. In all, Armstrong finished atop of the standings among the Cougs, tied with one other for fifth place after after marking 16 birdies over the three rounds to finish eight-under for the tournament.
Junior Grant Cole finished one stroke behind Armstrong for seventh place with a 206(-7). Cole's best round was the second where he closed out the first day with a 66 (-5). Sophomore Nicklaus Chiam competed as an individual in the tournament and tied for eighth with three others, with a final score of 207(-6) over three rounds. Seniors Derek Bayley and Brian Mogg and sophomore Daniel Kolar all tied with Long Beach State's Andres Gonzalez for eleventh place. They each marked five under par for the tournament with a 208 total.
The team will next compete on the road when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Golfweek Conference Challenge September 17th-18th.
"These guys from start to finish they were here this week," said head coach Dustin White. "They showed up. They played hard. Even when they saw a leaderboard here or there and saw that we were down by three or four shots it didn't seem to bother them. They kept at it and they played all the way until the end. That's what we talked about. There are only certain things you can control and that's attitude and focus and preparation. Obviously it's nice to win at home but this one maybe meant a little more coming from behind."
Leading the late charge for the Cougs, junior AJ Armstrong came up with his best round of the tournament as he fired off a 65(-6) including knocking in a pair of birdies on the final two holes of the afternoon to help WSU overtake Boise State. In all, Armstrong finished atop of the standings among the Cougs, tied with one other for fifth place after after marking 16 birdies over the three rounds to finish eight-under for the tournament.
Junior Grant Cole finished one stroke behind Armstrong for seventh place with a 206(-7). Cole's best round was the second where he closed out the first day with a 66 (-5). Sophomore Nicklaus Chiam competed as an individual in the tournament and tied for eighth with three others, with a final score of 207(-6) over three rounds. Seniors Derek Bayley and Brian Mogg and sophomore Daniel Kolar all tied with Long Beach State's Andres Gonzalez for eleventh place. They each marked five under par for the tournament with a 208 total.
The team will next compete on the road when they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Golfweek Conference Challenge September 17th-18th.
| POS | TEAM/PLAYER (SEED) | ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington State | 282 -2 | 271 -13 | 266 -18 | 819 -33 |
| T5 | AJ Armstrong (3) | E (F) | -2 (F) | -6 (F) | 205 |
| 7 | Grant Cole (4) | -2 (F) | -5 (F) | E (F) | 206 |
| T8 | Nicklaus Chiam (IND) | +2 (F) | -9 (F) | +1 (F) | 207 |
| T11 | Daniel Kolar (2) | -2 (F) | E (F) | -3 (F) | 208 |
| T11 | Derek Bayley (1) | +3 (F) | -5 (F) | -3 (F) | 208 |
| T11 | Brian Mogg (5) | +2 (F) | -1 (F) | -6 (F) | 208 |
| T32 | Zach Anderson (IND) | +2 (F) | +3 (F) | -2 (F) | 216 |
| T36 | Ryan Maine (IND) | +1 (F) | -1 (F) | +4 (F) | 217 |
| T48 | Khan Lee (IND) | +1 (F) | +3 (F) | +4 (F) | 221 |
| T48 | Scott Redelsperger (IND) | +5 (F) | +2 (F) | +1 (F) | 221 |