The Western men’s golf team is in third place after finishing the first 36 holes of its 45th annual Men’s Golf Invitational at Bellingham Golf and Country Club on Monday, Sept. 26. Senior Brett Johnson ended day one tied for the lead out of 96 players.
“Coach always says to finish strong, so I guess we did that today.”
Michael Butler
Johnson ended the first round of the invitational two under par with a score of 70 and outdid himself in the second round by going four under par for a score of 68.
“Johnson played how I know he can play and the same with Michael Butler,” Bennett said. “You can look at the end of last year’s season. Numbers wise, what they did today is what they did towards the end of last season.”
Overall, head coach Luke Bennett said the tournament showcased the talent of some of the young players and returning veterans.
Bennett said when the players try too hard they can play worse than when they relax. He said Johnson had a really good rhythm and demeanor.
“Clearly, he has great control of what he is doing with the golf ball in terms of how he is hitting it,” Bennett said.
Bennett also said he was pleased with the play of freshman Ezra Arneson, who finished in 12th place. Sophomore Michael Butler shot even-par for the day and sits in 19th place.
“I played really good in the afternoon. The morning was kind of rough, but in the afternoon I started to make some putts, so that was nice. I finished pretty good,” Butler said.
Butler said he hopes they can finish strong on the last round.
“I’m going to try to do what I did in the afternoon; go out and hopefully get off to a good start and try and replicate what I did this afternoon,” Butler said. “Coach always says to finish strong, so I guess we did that today.”
Junior Willy Scholten is looking to eliminate a few bogeys on the second day of the tournament.
“The team did well. We had a good come back on that second round, so that’s good for us,” Scholten said.
The Vikings will finish the third and final round with 18 holes at Bellingham Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
