The WSU men’s golf team was unable to improve their standing in the final round of the Bandon Dunes Championship at the Bandon Trails Golf Course on Tuesday.

The Cougars finished the tournament in ninth place after shooting (+17, 301) in the final round. The Cougars really struggled to play near par-golf in a tournament in which the weather conditions were sub-par.

Tournament champion No. 11 Clemson finished the tournament strong with (+6, 290) in the final round. Clemson did not have any trouble in this tournament and led all three rounds by a large margin.

Clemson won easily, ending the tournament with (+2, 854), 17 strokes ahead of No. 22 Washington who finished in second, ending with (+19, 871) overall. Alabama-Birmingham finished in third after posting (+19, 871) after three rounds.

There were very few positives to take away from this tournament, but one was the continued success of sophomore Derek Bayley. Bayley finished the tournament at (+11, 224), placing him in a tie for 25th. This is Bayley’s sixth top-25 finish this season.

Senior Evan Omelia saw his biggest improvement in the final round Tuesday after carding an even par (71) and finishing the tournament with (+12, 225) overall, one stroke back from team leader Bayley. Omelia’s solid finish moved him up 22 spots on the leader board, placing him in a tie for 28th.

Freshman AJ Armstrong finished the tournament in a tie for 46th with an overall score of (+17, 230). Fellow freshman Aaron Whalen ended the final round in 61st after carding (+23, 236) through three rounds. Sophomore Zach Anderson finished his final round in a tie for 63rd after shooting (+25, 238) in the tournament.

The Cougars will have another opportunity to improve when they return to play at Canby, Oregon, for the Airstream Adventures Northwest Classic, March 21-22.

Reporting by Ryan Siefkes