On Tuesday, March 10, the Idaho Vandals men’s golf team traveled to the beautiful Bandon, Oregon, to host the 17th Bandon Dunes Championship. The team posted a three-round total of 873 (+21) on Pacific Dunes at the Bandon Dunes resort on the Pacific coast.
The Vandals opened the tournament with a strong two-over-par 286 but posted scores of 295 and 292 in the final two rounds to finish 21-over par in the 15-team field. Senior Josh McCartain led the Vandals, tying for 13th place at two-under-par 211 after shooting back-to-back rounds of two-under. Graduate Dalton Dean recorded Idaho’s second-best finish, tying for 40th at five-over.
Sophomore Charley Simpson and senior Samuel Johnson each tied for 71st at 12-over 225. Freshman Henrik Koglin completed the Vandals lineup, tying for 77th at 13-over, and Joe Sykes, competing as an individual, tied for 48th with a score of six-over 219.
Oregon State University, led by former Idaho coach Jon Reehoorn, won the team title with a score of 31-under-par 821, breaking the previous record of 28-under set by Oregon in 2017 and matched by Arizona State in 2018. The Beavers’ 21-under first round bested the tournament round record by eight strokes.
Oregon claimed runner-up honors, second at 14-under for the tournament. Oregon State’s Nguyen Anh Minh posted a first-round 61, setting the course, school and tournament record. He went three-under over the final two rounds to tie the tournament record at 13-under.
After missing out on the top 10, the Vandals have a chance to redeem themselves in Oregon, as the next event is on March 23-24 at the Oregon Duck Invitational at the Eugene Country Club.
