Katie Armes
For the Review

Playing in rain, cold and wind gusting at 30 mph, the men’s golf team struggled in its previous few tournaments, but it is still placed second in the Northwest Conference standings.
“I think we’ll work pretty hard knowing our backs are up against the wall,” head coach Greg Copeland said, noting that the University of Puget Sound in third place is only one point behind Linfield.
Last weekend at the NWC Spring Classic, where Linfield placed third, Copeland said the team had difficulties with putting.
“We didn’t do very well, actually; it was the first tournament we’ve lost in conference in two years,” senior Andrew Fitch said.
Linfield, the defending conference champion, intended to capture first place. Even with a disappointing outcome, Copeland said it was still a fun trip.
The tournament was held at the Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash., which exhibits hilly, sandy terrain, unlike the team’s home course, Michaelbook, which Copeland said has tree-lined, straightforward greens.
This should serve to the team’s advantage at the NWC Championships, which will be held at a course similar to Michaelbook, Copeland said.
“We’ve learned how to play in adverse weather, and that should help us,” Fitch said.
Despite Linfield’s losses against Pacific University and Puget Sound, teams it has defeated in the past, freshman Alex Fitch placed second overall with a score of 150.
While individual performance is very important, Copeland said he also believes that the depth of the team is a huge strength.
“We have six or seven guys that are capable of shooting a good score, while the other teams might have four or five,” he said.
This depth allows the team to recover easily in the event that one player has an off-day.
Andrew also said that two players in particular, his brother Freshman Alex Fitch and senior Kevin Duerr, have gained more confidence during the season.
The team usually focuses on its short game, chipping, putting and the like, during practice. However, its efforts to improve on finesse have proved futile when dealing with weather conditions that drastically alter how the golf ball flies through the air.
“The weather has been so crummy that it’s not normal golf,” Copeland said.
Although faced with challenges, the team hasn’t lost its drive. While the ’Cats may have been pushed down to second place, they’re still only one point behind first.
“Our goal is to win the conference,” Copeland said.