COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Caleb Trost played his way into the top-10 on Day 1 of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships Monday, highlighting the first two rounds for Montana State University Billings at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.
Trost carded a 1-under-par 70 in Round 2 of the championship, cutting off four strokes after a 74 in Round 1 for a two-round mark of 144. That puts the Yellowjacket sophomore in a tie for fifth place with the third and final round left to play on Tuesday. “Caleb played really solid all day, and other than a rough start in his first round he was really good,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. “He is such a competitor, and when he gets into a tournament round he is a different player. Everybody on the team is feeding off of that, and hopefully we can get everybody to play that well.”
The ‘Jackets posted a two-round team score of 601 (301-300) on the par-71, 6,803-yard course, and are in fifth place among the field of six teams. “It was a great effort from all the guys, to really stick with it,” Allen said. “Playing 36 holes is a long day, and there are a lot of scoring opportunities out here. There are a lot of holes they can take advantage of, and they did a great job of not letting a bad hole get to them. Over the course of 36 holes, that mindset really pays off for you. It just shows that they were in the right frame of mind for a long day, and I really think they’ll put another solid round together tomorrow.”
Trost had seven birdies on Monday, and managed the course beautifully with nothing worse than a bogey among his 18 holes played. After starting his day with a 4-over-par 39 on the front-nine, Trost kicked it into high gear and played the back-nine at 2-under-par 35. That included birdies on the par-5, 538-yard 11th hole, and the par-4, 269-yard 17th.
Carrying the momentum into his second round, Trost posted a 1-over-par 36 on the front-nine his second time through, before closing the afternoon with three birdies and just one bogey en route to a 2-under-par 34 on the back-nine. Trost capitalized on the four par-5 holes all day long, playing them at 2-under-par Monday. “On these par-5s it is all about the tee shot, and Caleb is driving the ball beautifully,” Allen said. “Every tee shot is in play, and the ones he misses a bit are still playable. He puts himself in position to get a mid to short iron into the green. He is scrappy with his short game, and he’s not afraid to go for a green and miss anywhere around it. He is really confident he can get up and down from anywhere.”
Garrett Woodin posted a two-round total of 151 on Monday, and he also improved between rounds with a 76 and a 75 to begin his third championship at the CDA Resort. The Yellowjackets’ most experienced player on the track had five birdies and one of MSUB’s two eagles throughout the day.
Woodin’s biggest mishap of the day came on the par-4, 368-yard 13th hole, where he posted a seven. He responded immediately however, with a birdie on the par-3, 218-yard 14th and an eagle on the par-5, 495-yard 15th to counteract the big score. The junior stuck his tee shot on the world-famous floating green to 18 inches before sinking the putt, before setting himself up nicely with a long drive on the 15th. Woodin planted a 7-iron from 195 yards away to seven feet, and sank the eagle putt to help him finish with a 1-over-par 37 on the back-nine.
Woodin finished the day strongly, playing his final seven holes at 1-under par and once again shooting a 37 on the back. He enters Tuesday’s final round in a tie for 20th place.
One stroke behind Woodin was fellow junior Payton Stott, who shot a 152 (73-79) in his first time at the CDA Resort. Stott’s first round featured a 2-under-par 34 on the back-nine, where he carded a pair of birdies and an eagle. After saving a stroke on the par-4, 429-yard 16th hole, Stott chipped in from a green-side bunker for a rare 2 on the short par-4 17th hole. Stott managed just one more birdie after that, but once again played the back-nine well at 1-over-par 37 in Round 2. He is in 22nd place after Monday’s action.
Logan Martin posted a two-round score of 154 (78-76), and he sits in 25th place with one round left to go. Martin had five birdies on his first day of the event, and only had one score worse than a bogey over his first two rounds of play.
Riley Kaercher also competed for the ‘Jackets on Monday, posting a score of 166 (86-80) to sit in 30th place. Kaercher steadily improved throughout the day, cutting off six strokes between rounds and ending the second round with a 2-over-par 38 in his final nine holes of the day.
Western Washington University leads the team race, after posting a two-round score of 568 (284-284) on Monday. The Vikings’ Brody Bonfilio scorched through Round 1 with a 4-under-par 67, and followed with an even-par 71 to hold the top individual spot with a 138.
THE BUZZ: Trost was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Trost’s 70 was one stroke off his personal collegiate best of 69.
NEXT UP: The men tee off at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday morning off the back-nine in the final round of the event. Live scoring will be available online through the Golf Stat link here.
2019 GNAC Men’s Golf Championships
Day 1 Results | April 22, 2019
Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Team – 1. Western Washington, 568 (284-284); 5. MSU Billings, 601 (301-300). Individual – 1. Brody Bonfilio, WWU, 138 (67-71); T5. Caleb Trost, MSUB, 144 (74-70); T20. Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 151 (76-75); 22. Payton Stott, MSUB, 152 (73-79); 25. Logan Martin, MSUB, 154 (78-76); 30. Riley Kaercher, MSUB, 166 (86-80).
MSUB’s women posted a score of 334 and sit in fifth place.
The Yellowjackets completed their first round on the par-71, 5,914-yard course with scores ranging from the low to upper-80s. “The main struggle for us today was on the greens,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. “We just had a hard time getting the greens figured out, especially on the putts inside of 10 feet. I was glad with how they battled and stayed calm out there. That mindset will pay off for them tomorrow. Conditions will be a little different, but it is one more opportunity for all of them to get better. I think we can move up the leaderboard as a team, and everyone can move up individually. I liked the resilience out there, and I’m confident all of them will get after it tomorrow.”
Senior Sarah Schroefel was MSUB’s top performer on Monday, as she carded a first-round score of 81. Schroefel got off to a solid start, with her lone birdie on the day coming on the par-3, 120-yard fifth hole. She also made eight pars on Monday, and is in a tie for 11th place entering the final round.
Senior Shealyn Hafer was one stroke behind Schroefel, posting a score of 82 on Monday. Hafer’s lone birdie on the day came on the par-5, 540-yard ninth hole, as she was able to keep her front-nine score below 40. Hafer made eight pars, and is in a tie for 14th place.
Turning in a first-round score of 84 and sitting in a tie for 19th place is sophomore Renae Heisler. She carded seven pars on the day, and had nothing worse than a double bogey.
Rounding out the field of five for the ‘Jackets were freshmen Tierney Messmer and Kinsey Irvin, who shot scores of 87 and 88, respectively. Messmer is in a tie for 25th place and Irvin is close behind in a tie for 27th.
Concordia University leads the team race, after opening the tournament with a score of 311. The Cavaliers hold a four-stroke lead over Western Washington University, which posted a 315 Monday. WWU’s Lacy Sheldon is the individual leader after a 2-over-par 73, and she is ahead of the Cavaliers’ Shantel Antonio by a single stroke.
THE BUZZ: Schroefel was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day.
NEXT UP: The second and final round begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time Tuesday morning. Live scoring will be available online through the Golf Stat link here.
2019 GNAC Women’s Golf Championships
Round 1 Results | April 22, 2019
Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course | Couer d’Alene, Idaho
Team – 1. Concordia, 311; 5. MSU Billings, 334. Individual – 1. Lacy Sheldon, WWU, 315; T11. Sarah Schroefel, MSUB, 81; T14. Shealyn Hafer, MSUB, 82; T19. Renae Heisler, MSUB, 84; T25. Tierney Messmer, MSUB, 87; T27. Kinsey Irvin, MSUB, 88.
