Thanks to a tournament-best round of five-under-par 283, Seattle University finished the 2015 Western Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships in third place as the third and final round concluded Wednesday on the Gold Course of the Wigwam Golf Resort.
Joe Harvie (Orting, Wash.) moved into the top five in the final standings thanks to a final round score of 69 (-3), which featured four birdies on the first 10 holes against just one bogey. He finished in a tie for fifth place with a three-round total of 215 (-1), and his third-round 69 is his 11th round under par this year as well as his fourth round below 70. After the tournament, Harvie was named WAC Freshman of the Year as well as Second Team All-WAC for his performance throughout the 2014-15 season.
Jamie Hall (Seattle, Wash.) enjoyed a solid start with eight straight pars, struggled with a bogey on the ninth hole and a double bogey on the 11th hole, and then finished strong, posting eagle on the par-five 14th hole before birdies on the 15th and 18th holes improved his final round score to 71 (-1). Hall finished in a tie for 12th place at 220 (+4), his best finish in a multi-team tournament this year.
Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.) also finished in a tie for 12th place at 220 (+4) after shooting 71 (-1) in the final round. He birdied the fourth and ninth holes, but gave those strokes back with bogeys on the 11th and 15th holes before finishing the tournament with a birdie on the 18th hole. It is the third time this year that Cornett has finished in a tie for 11th place.
Ross Kukula (Ocean Park, Wash.) played a steady round with two birdies, two bogeys, and 14 pars to shoot 72 (even), his best round of the tournament, to end up in a tie for 18th place at 222 (+6). Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) also collected 14 pars during his final round, posting a score of 74 (+2) to finish in a tie for 26th place at 228 (+12). Sato also received Second Team All-WAC honors after a stellar season.
With all five players posting their best scores of the championships, Seattle U combined to shoot 283 (-5), its second-best single round team score of the entire year, to move up into third place in the final standings at 877 (+13). It is the third-best 54-hole score of the year for the Redhawks, who earned their sixth top-three finish as a team in 2014-15.
New Mexico State clinched the team title thanks to a final round score of 286 (-2), finishing with a 54-hole total of 861 (-3), 13 strokes ahead of second place Missouri-Kansas City. Nicolas Platret of Texas-Pan American surged into the top spot of the individual standings at 211 (-5) thanks to a final round 67 (-5), earning medalist honors by two strokes.
All five players who competed at this year’s WAC Championships are eligible to return next season, giving the Seattle University men’s golf team experience as it heads into the 2015-16 campaign.