Katie Armes
Review staff writer

At the George Fox Invitational last weekend, the men’s golf team demolished its competition with a first-place win, with individual players taking four of the five top scores.
Senior Kevin Duerr placed first with a score of 70, junior Tyler Nelson took second with 72, senior Andrew Fitch shot a 74 to place third and freshman Alex Fitch placed fifth with 78.
“It’s the best I’ve played in a while,” Duerr said. “Everything seemed to click.”
Nearing the end of the season, the men’s golf team aims to improve its short game to win first place at the Northwest Conference Championships on April 25
and 26.
Terrible golfing conditions coupled with inconsistent putting have led to a less-than-satisfactory spring season for the men, who were undefeated during the fall.
“We kind of stumbled at our conference tournament getting third,” Nelson said.
Nelson said the team still remains confident, realizing it is the NWC Championships that will ultimately determine the team’s final placement in the league.
“It was a learning experience knowing that we needed to refocus our attention on our short game,” Nelson said.
While the team has done well driving the ball, Nelson said the men are trying to reduce their scores by making putting and chipping the backbone of their game.
The ’Cats returned last year after a third-place finish at the Spring Conference tournament to finish first in the championships. This year, however, the team will be playing at the course where the championships were held two years ago, where it lost to Whitworth because of difficulties putting.
“There’s kind of that mental block in our mind knowing that two years ago we played the same course and failed,” Nelson said.
While the course may bring back painful memories, Duerr said that the team’s prior experience playing at Toketee could be beneficial.
“It’s not a great familiarity, but enough to feel comfortable,” Duerr said.
The possibility of attending nationals for the second year in a row is also a source of motivation for the team, Nelson said.
Duerr said he also believes that the team’s mentality going into the championships will be important.
“It’s so much easier to play better when you’re relaxed,” he said.
While golf is played individually, there is a strong sense of camaraderie on the team. Nelson said team members are close and comfortable asking each other for technical advice.
“Having that tight-knit group is important for team chemistry,” Nelson said.
The ’Cats will play a dual match with the University of Oregon’s club golf team April 19 at Tokatee to practice for the conference championships April 25 and 26.