In what fifth year Head Coach Garrett Clegg called his team’s best performance of the year, the Washington State men’s golf team and sophomore Derek Bayley took home the team and individual titles yesterday at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate at Palouse Ridge Golf Club.

The Cougars shot 33-under par (819) over the course of three rounds to finish the tournament 20 strokes ahead of second-place Seattle University (-13, 839). Going 4-under as a team in Round 3 on Tuesday, WSU broke its own tournament record for total score set back in 2010, when the tournament was known as the Palouse Cougar Collegiate.

“They played so great yesterday that today they just had to play solid and consistent and they did that,” Clegg said.

Bayley not only won his first individual tournament of his collegiate career, but he also tied the individual tournament record for lowest score with a tally of 201 (-12). Bayley bogeyed just one hole through three rounds.

“I started off a little slow, but I didn’t make any mistakes, which was nice,” Bayley said. “I really focused on just playing my game, not getting too nervous. I got a little nervous yesterday but today it was better, and I think it will be a great learning curve for the future.”

In what may have been his best performance as a Coug, freshman Aaron Whalen continued his rapid development as a player, finishing four strokes behind Bayley at 205 (-8), to claim a second place overall finish. Whalen carded four birdies and went 3-under (68) in Round 3 after shooting even (71) in the first round and 5-under (66) in Round 2.

“Part of golf is that we have an individual sport, so Aaron wanted to chase down Derek and beat him,” Clegg said. “Derek was able to win, but at the end of the day, as soon as it’s over, they’re really close and a great group of guys.”

Clegg added that this is only Whalen’s third collegiate tournament and “it won’t be long before he wins one.”

Nick Mandell, a junior from Kennewick, Washington, finished in a four-way tie for fourth after finishing 6-under (207). Mandell played his most consistent tournament of the year, and it resulted in him posting the lowest single-round and tournament scores of his collegiate career. The junior shot 3-under (68) in Round 2.

The Cougars now begin a three-week break before competing in the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational, Oct. 18-20, in Windermere, Florida. The tournament will be co-hosted by Central Florida and Texas Tech at the Isleworth Country Club.

Reporting by Braden Johnson