Wildcats Third at Whitman Invitational

Taylor Klopp Shoots 71 on final day Photo: Linfield Wildcats

(WALLA WALLA, Wash) — Trimming two strokes from their first-round score, the Linfield Wildcats maintained their third-place position once all the results were tallied Monday on the final day of the Whitman Invitational here at Wine Valley Golf Club.

Wildcats freshman Lucas Balala (Fr., University Place, Wash.) matched his first day total of 74 to end the day at 148. He finished in a five-way tie for seventh.

Linfield's first-round leader, Nathan Pellatz (So., Canby, Ore.), saw his score mushroom by six strokes, dropping him from a tie for their into a share of 13th place. Pellatz finished 72-78-150, equaling the total of teammte Logan Davis (Fr., Longview, Wash,), who shot 76-74-150 while competing as an individual.

“I got myself in trouble, hitting a lot of bogeys on the front nine,” said Pellatz. “I had an eagle on No. 10 and went on even-par on the back nine.”

Wildcats senior Taylor Klopp (Sr., Eugene, Ore.) had the hot hand Monday, improving by six strokes, 77-71-148.

Another individual, Max Hanson (Fr., Bothell, Wash.), went from 73 on Sunday to 80 on Monday, finishing tied for 17th with a 153 total.

Whitworth won the event, passing first-day leader Puget Sound to win by nine strokes. UPS, which finished two strokes ahead of Linfield, saw its first-day score grow from 292 to 302, opening the door for the Pirates to take the team title.

Whitworth's Oliver Rudnicki took home medalist honors, beating teammate Austin Billeter by one stroke, 143-144.

“We hit our team goal of scoring under 300 both days,” said Pellatz. “Every single one of the guys came off the course feeling as though they could have shaved a couple of strokes with better putts. We're getting closer to the level we want to be at in order to compete with Whitworth and Willamette.”

COMING UP: The Wildcats prepare for the Culturame Classic, Oct. 11-12, at The Reserve Vineyard and Golf Club in Aloha.

Source: Linfield College