Western Washington University women's golf coach Bo Stephan announced today that Anna Bourland, a senior at Bainbridge High School, has signed a national letter of intent to compete for the Vikings beginning in the fall of 2010.
Bourland, a four-time, first-team all-Metro League selection, helped the Spartans win the regular-season league title this fall and place second in the league tournament where she had her first career hole-in-one.
Western Washington University freshman Claire Rachor had a top three medalist finish for the third straight competition as the Vikings completed the fall portion of their schedule by placing third among 13 teams at the Cal State Monterey Bay Lady Otter Women's Golf Invitational Tournament which ended Tuesday at the Bayonet Golf and Country Club in Monterey Bay, Calif.
First-day leader Western Washington University finished tied for third place among 15 teams at the Sonoma State University Men's Golf Invitational Tournament which concluded Tuesday at the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club in Santa Rosa, Calif.
The Vikings, who completed the fall portion of their schedule, shot a final-round 296 for a 36-hole total of 585, which tied them with Saint Martin's (290).
Two Bellingham High School graduates, freshman Claire Rachor and junior Katie Sharpe, finished one-two in medalist play, leading Western Washington University to its second title in three years at the Sonoma State University Women's Golf Invitational Tournament which ended Tuesday at the Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club in Santa Rosa, Calif..
The Vikings shot a final-round 9-over par 297, the best round of the day by 20 strokes, for a 36-hole total of 615. That was 14 shots better than runner-up and first-day leader Cal State Monterey Bay (318=629).
Western Washington University rallied from a two-shot deficit to win by six strokes at the 16th Annual WWU Women's Golf Invitational Tournament which ended Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club.
It marks the seventh time in eight years that the Vikings have won their own tourney. They shot a second straight 313 for a 36-hole total of 626.
When Jake Koppenberg stands on the tee, driver in hand, there's a good chance his golf ball is going a long ways.
And with a swing that is equal parts power and grace, the same could be said for Koppenberg's future in the game.
Western Washington freshman Claire Rachor shot an even par 73 to hold a one-shot lead in medalist play after first-round action at the 16th Annual Western Washington University Women's Golf Invitational on Monday, Oct. 12, at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club.
The Vikings also find themselves in second overall in team standings headed into Tuesday action, which starts at 9 a.m.
Rachor birdied three of her last five holes to take the individual lead, one stroke ahead of second place Shannon Quinn from Seattle University and Haley Cameron from British Columbia.
Western Washington University tied for fourth place among 17 teams, just two strokes out of second, at the Grand Canyon University Women's Golf Fall Invitational which ended Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Coldwater Golf and Country Club in Goodyear, Ariz.
When the Western Washington University men's and women's golf teams tee off the fall season in the next two weeks in Arizona and Lacey, they will do so with the same goal of reaching the NCAA Division II National Tournament in the spring.
Matt Cowell and Chris Barker expressed gratitude to their bosses for giving them the three-day holiday weekend off after they finished one-two in the 35th Bellingham Amateur.
In turn, Lake Padden director of golf Mel Fish, who guided his 20th Bellingham Amateur, and head pro Greg Morris were pretty proud of both players, each of whom has worked at the course for four months.
"But now, you're really going to pay!" Fish joked with Cowell as the Western Washington University senior was officially declared the winner with a par-216 for 54 holes, including 1-under 71s on Friday and Sunday, Sept.
Western Washington University's Jake Koppenberg has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Golf Player of the Week for Apr. 12-18.
Koppenberg took medalist honors and teammate Thomas Jun finished in a three-way tie for second as the Vikings placed third among 16 teams at the 36th annual Jim Hanny/Cal State Stanislaus Invitational Men's Golf Tournament which ended Tuesday at the Turlock Golf and Country Club.
Kaitlin Parker took medalist honors by four strokes and Christa Goldie tied for second in leading the Western Washington University women's golf team to a seven-stroke victory at the Notre Dame de Namur University West Coast Invitational which ended Tuesday, April 21, at the Roddy Ranch Golf Course in Brentwood, Calif.
For the second straight year, Western Washington University's Jake Koppenberg has earned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year Award.
The award goes to the player with the lowest stroke average through the conference tournament. Koppenberg, who won the GNAC individual title in a playoff with John Eisentrout of Saint Martin's Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Club, is averaging 71.12 shots for 26 rounds. Both players had 54-hole scores of even-par 213.
Aggressive and smart. That might be the best way to describe the golf game of Western Washington University's Jake Koppenberg.
Since transferring from Idaho last year, the junior from Everett has taken that approach on the golf course, and the results have been remarkable.
Koppenberg is on pace to break the Vikings' season record for lowest scoring average. After 22 rounds, his average is 70.9, 1.7 strokes better than the standard of 72.6 set in 2003 by Tim Feenstra.
The Western Washington University women's golf team is making a seventh straight trip to the NCAA Division II West Super Regional to be held on May 4-6 at the Ironwood Golf and Country Club in Omaha, Neb. (host University of Nebraska at Omaha), announced Monday, April 27, by the NCAA II Women's Golf Committee.
The Vikings are the No.3 seed among nine teams selected to compete in the West Super Regional. Last year, they placed second and went on to finish sixth at the national tournament.
Any chance of qualifying for nationals was lost for the Western Washington University men's golf team as it fell into a tie for 12th among 20 teams after Tuesday's second round at the NCAA Division II Central/West Super Regional being played at the 7,016-yard Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb.
The top five teams in the three-day, 54-hole event advance to the NCAA II National Championships on May 19-22 at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine.
Western Washington University's Jake Koppenberg birdied the first playoff hole to break a five-way tie and earn the second and last individual national berth from a non-qualifying team at the NCAA Division II Central/West Men's Golf Super Regional, which ended Wednesday at the 7,016-yard Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb.
Koppenberg fired a 2-under 69 on the final day to finish in a six-way tie for ninth at 4-over 217, with five of those being from non-qualifying teams.
Beginning Saturday, May 16, Blaine will host the men’s NCAA Division II national championship on Semiahmoo Resort’s Loomis Trail course, the result of a year and a half of work by course pro and director of golf Brett Eaton.
Eight man teams from 20 Division II schools from around the county will converge on the course beginning Monday, May 18 for a practice round. That evening, Western Washington University (WWU) graduate Bill Wright will be honored by United States Golf Association (USGA) president Jim Vern on the 50th anniversary of his having won the public links golf championship in 1959.
Western Washington University's Kaitlin Parker is in a three-way tie for ninth place following first-day action Wednesday, May 13, at the NCAA Division II National Women's Golf Championships being played at the 6,219-yard Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio.
Parker shot a 4-over par 76 to open the four-day, 72-hole tournament. She played the front nine in even par with one birdie and one bogey, but had four bogeys on the back nine.
Western Washington University's Kaitlin Parker did not play Thursday, May 14, as heavy rain forced second-round action to be suspended at the NCAA Division II National Women's Golf Championships at Findlay, Ohio.
Teams and individuals will play 36 holes Friday with round two beginning at 8 a.m. and round three at 1 p.m. The fourth and final round is slated for Saturday.
here's no wrong in Mr. Wright. Fifty years ago, as a 23-year-old with a sweet swing he developed while mimicking Sam Snead, Wright became the first African-American to win a United States Golf Association title. He captured the 1959 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships, amazing the crowd with his magic Spaulding Autograph putter, making an emphatic statement about equality.
Wright returns to the region today to be the keynote speaker at a banquet the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine.
Bill Wright is still a little surprised when the phone rings at his home in Los Angeles and the person calling wants to talk about something that happened 50 year ago.
What Wright, 73, wants people to remember about the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship that he won in 1959 is that he never set out to make history by becoming the first African-American to win a United States Golf Association-sponsored national title.
Instead, the Western Washington University alum just wanted to play well and make the cut to match play after traveling from Seattle to Denver to play in the event.
In the beginning, geography led Craig Crawford to the doorstep of history.
While growing up on Camano Island, Crawford was a baseball fan who dreamed of one day playing in the big leagues. But when his parents moved into a house that bordered on Camaloch Golf Course, his destiny was written for him.
Crawford hasn't shot higher than 76 in any of his past three state-tournament appearances, so don't expect the Western Washington University-bound senior to get nervous this week. And as far as pressure goes, Crawford doesn't expect that to cripple his game either.
