On April 20, the Linfield men’s golf team took their home course for the final tournament of the year, the Northwest Conference Championships. After a season of only three top three finishes and no first-place finishes, many could assume the Wildcats would have little motivation to go out and win the final tournament.
But those assumptions were far from the truth.
In fact, the knowledge of this tournament being the last one of the year and the desire to finish the season on a high note drove men’s golf to obliterate the competition with a first-place finish, 16 strokes ahead of Willamette University, the runner-up.
Not only did the team capture the win, but the Wildcats also earned an individual first-place finish from sophomore Douglas Bailey, and a tie for third place from senior Zack LaPlaca and freshman Ryder Ng.
Bailey, who struggled slightly during day one of the tournament, came thundering back on day 2 with a 6-under par 66, and birdied hole 18 to tie for first place. This led to a two-hole playoff between him and George Fox’s Truman Fletcher in which Bailey pulled out the close win.
If there wasn’t proof of home course advantage, there sure is now. The Wildcats sure benefited from knowing their home course, Michelbook Country Club, through and through. This advantage differs from a sport like football because the golfers truly know every hill, ridge and bump along each and every hole – it’s not just about the atmosphere of the crowd.
“We all know the course and are super comfortable playing on it since we play there every day,” said LaPlaca. “Winning at your home course is also super fun because we had a lot of the members and course employees watching, who we see out there all the time.”
Linfield felt the full support of their community and family members during this last tournament, fueling them to play their best team golf of the season.
“Winning meant a lot to me because my parents flew from Hawaii to watch me,” said Ng, who also earned himself the Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year honor. “So it was really nice having a good performance in front of them.”
For Linfield, this final tournament was an opportunity to make a statement, demonstrating to everyone, especially themselves, who they are and the potential they have.
“We knew that if we could end the season on a high, it would feel pretty good,” said Bailey. “There was definitely something to prove and I think we proved it by winning by 16 strokes.”
This win meant something special to LaPlaca, who had only begun playing golf just a few years ago and never really considered playing in college.
“A lot of the time as athletes, we spend all of this time working and it’s hard to feel like we’re good enough,” said LaPlaca. “But my mom reminded me of when I first got to Linfield and was questioning whether I was good enough to be here and struggling to even make the lineup, to now be playing in all of these tournaments, finishing well and competing with everyone else.”
LaPlaca’s hard work has definitely paid off as he has become one of the better golfers in the conference and placed third in this final tournament.
By not only winning the NWC Championships, but winning it by as much as they did, the Wildcats broadcast to the conference exactly what they plan to do and the team they plan to be next year.
“We hadn’t necessarily proven that we could win the conference yet this year or last year,” said Bailey. “Knowing we can go under par as a team and stay right around even for two days is a huge confidence booster going into next year.”
Confidence is key, and Linfield earned the privilege of having unwavering confidence in their abilities after this tournament. With this, they will pursue an overall NWC win next year and, along with that, a trip to Nationals.
But confidence doesn’t solely come from winning tournaments, it also comes from trust among players and coaches.
“Winning the NWC Championships was incredibly special – not just because of the title, but because of how the team came together when it mattered most,” said Head Coach Mitch Wilson. “These guys built a foundation of accountability, positivity and selflessness which carried us through the tough stretches. The final win was the result of months of trust and shared goals.”
The team came together through the good and the bad, through the tough days and through the long practices. They also knew that they could trust one another and have each other’s backs.
“You need to know your teammate and know that they’ve got your back and they need to know that you’ve got their back,” said Bailey. “During practice, that’s something Mitch really implements because we do tons of team games that build that trust.”
Wilson has been the men’s golf coach at Linfield for six years and has built the program to be one that competes with the rest of the conference. Because of his dedication and commitment to the team over the last six years, the team wanted this win for him as much as they wanted it for themselves.
“Mitch prepares us really well and puts a lot of confidence in us,” said Ng. “He helps stabilize me on the golf course so I can keep playing the best I can, whether I’m playing well or not.”
Wilson’s mentorship does not end on the golf course either as he guides the players throughout the challenges and successes in their everyday lives as well.
“All of us were really happy to be able to win this tournament for Mitch because we love him and the whole team rallies around him,” said LaPlaca. “I do not have enough kind words to say about Mitch Wilson. He’s helped me far beyond golf, being a mentor and a role model as well as someone to lean on in the good moments and the bad.”
Instilling confidence in the players is important for Wilson as their coach, and he believes that the confidence they have built this season, especially with this last win, will carry them through next year and they will continue to build on their success.
“We’ll use the knowledge that their best is good enough when they do it together as motivation to raise our standard even higher moving forward,” said Wilson. “The challenge now is to stay hungry, keep growing and make this kind of success the expectation, not the exception.”
With key players like Bailey and Ng returning next year, the team is sure to see more and more success. Bailey, in particular, is coming off a huge individual win and will surely only go up from here.
Despite this personal success, Bailey remains humble and always ready to continue to work hard in everything he does, not just golf.
Bailey’s mindset about having balance in life is shared among the Wildcats. The attitude they bring on the course and to life is about so much more than just golf.
“My goal coming into Linfield was to be the greatest golfer at Linfield ever. But with that being said, I don’t want to be remembered as a golfer,” said Bailey. “I want to be remembered because I had great conversations and people enjoyed talking to me. I want to be known as Douglas Bailey the Linfield Wildcat, not Douglas Bailey the golfer.”
