By: Jake McGrail
BURNABY, B.C. – Just days after winning the Bishop Invitational, the Simon Fraser men's golf team took home the Western Washington Invitational at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club in a narrow victory. This means the Red Leafs have emerged victorious in their first two tournaments of the season for the first time since joining the NCAA.
It was a well-rounded effort from SFU, which ended the first round in second place in the team standings with an even-par 288. They took the lead in the second round after posting a 290 and recorded a 295 Tuesday, finishing in first with a total of nine-over 873, two strokes ahead of hosts Western Washington.
In his university debut, redshirt freshman
Denby Carswell (Burnaby, B.C.) was the Red Leafs' high-finisher as he tied for 10th with a two-over 218 (71-74-73). SFU's top four scorers all finished within two strokes of each other: Surrey, B.C., brothers Bailey (74-72-73) and
Justin Bjornson (71-72-76) tied for 11th at three-over 219 and
Michael Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.) tied for 13th at four-over 220 (72-75-73).
Logan Boucher (Beaconsfield, Que.) rounded out the team tied for 26th at nine-over 225 (76-72-77).
Justin Bjornson. Photo by Western Wash. Athletics
This win highlighted SFU's impressive trio of freshmen.
Justin Bjornson has now finished eighth and tied for 11th in his first two tournaments for the Red Leafs while Carswell paced the team at Western Washington. Fellow freshman
Brendan O'Brien (Victoria, B.C.) competed individually, separate from the team score, and finished tied for 20th with a six-over 222 (74-70-78).
Kyle Mayner of Kelowna, B.C., and
Ryan Hodgins of Medicine Hat, Alta., also took part as individuals for SFU. Mayner tied for 17th at five-over 221 (74-69-78), while Hodgins tied for 32nd with a score of 10-over 226 (76-79-71).
After two tournaments in just five days, the Red Leafs are back on the road once again next week at the Wildcat Classic in Chico, California. The tournament runs at Butte Creek Country Club October 2-3. SFU will look to improve on last year's second-place result, where it finished just a single stroke behind hosts Chico State.
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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