Cougar men’s golf go toe to toe with the best
Cougar men’s golf place as high as 12
COURTESY OF WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETICS
Then-senior golfer Daniel Kolar watches his shot as it heads towards the green.
March 2, 2023
After a quick flight from Hawaii, the men’s team tried their luck in University of California, Davis-hosted prestige tournament.
This tournament hosted some of the nation’s best, and the Cougs placed 12th of 24, shooting a collective 885, tying with Liberty University — An admirable performance considering the competition.
The green saw the same Cougars as the last competition tee-off, with Jaden Cantafio leading the pack with a 218 and 23rd place showing. Close behind were Pono Yanagi and Peter Jung, who both shot 221 and tied for 42nd.
Preston Bebich and Sam Renner brought up the rear shooting 228 and 231, respectively.
Franklin Lydra was the sixth golfer representing the Crimson and Gray in the individual competition. Lydra, a sophomore from Australia, shot a five-over, a 77.
Considering the stiffer competition, this is not a bad performance from the Cougs. This will go down as one of the bigger tournaments of the season and serve as a good benchmark of the team’s abilities.
Their Pac-12 cohorts in Stanford, Colorado State and Oregon State placed third, sixth and 20th, respectively.
The Cougs will now return home for some rest and prepare for their next event: the Bandon Dunes Championship.
The tournament is set for March 12–14 at the Bandon Dunes Golf Club in Bandon, Oregon.
The Cougars no doubt hope to redeem themselves from last season’s performance at the Dunes where the team placed 16th, falling to the first-place Huskies.
