Courtesy of Christopher Germano
Following their first two spring tournaments of the season, Lewis & Clark Golf traveled to Salem to play in the Willamette Valley Cup on March 14 and 15.
The team previously traveled to Riverside, California on Feb. 9 and 10 to play in the West Coast Classic (Feb. 9) and the West Coast Invite (Feb. 10), where their A and B teams placed second and tied for fourth the first day and second and 11th the second day.
The next tournament was the Pines Cup, which was held at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Oregon, on Feb. 21 and 22, where both the men’s and women’s teams won 7.5 to 2.5, with half points referring to a tie.
Luke Blankinship ’27 discussed the West Coast Classic and Pines Cup in an interview with The Mossy Log on March 4.
“We hosted (the West Coast Invite). So we flew down to California, hosted, that was a lot of fun. It was probably the strongest field we’ve played in so far this season and it went well. We finished second place behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who is playing very well right now. They’re a top 10 team in the country, and we were not too far back of beating them. If their freshman Samson Li didn’t shoot an 8 under 64, the second day we might have had a chance. That was a lot of fun, we got to play Victoria Club in California, getting into the sun a little bit,” Blankinship said.
Blankinship elaborated on his personal performance, as well as that of his teammates.
“I played well personally, which was fun as well. I finished fifth place, and I know Mason Hill ’28, who is a sophomore, also finished top ten as well. So some good success to start the season and then we came back to Portland, played the Pines Cup against Pacific,” he said. “We were not able to win the Pines Cup unfortunately, but this year came back after a lot of work over the offseason, and we were able to beat them, I believe seven and a half to two and a half. Personally, I’ve won one match, lost one match. Just a great course, OGA was in great shape and it’s always a lot of fun doing a match play event because we’re normally doing stroke play, and being able to have a slightly different format’s always fun.”
Hill also spoke on the West Coast Invite in an interview with The Mossy Log on March 4.
“We had an opportunity to really play well, and we took advantage of it, and if it wasn’t for someone on Claremont shooting damn near the course record, we’d be in a situation where we would have won that tournament,” Hill said.
Hill commented on the prospects of the Willamette Valley Cup going into the tournament.
“I’m pretty excited, very thankful I didn’t have to qualify because the qualified scores, like I said, have been pretty good. But I think it’s gonna be a great opportunity to play against Willamette, and Willamette is currently the 13th or 14th ranked team in the country,” Hill said. “If we want to make it to Nationals, we’re going to have to beat them at least twice, probably two or three times, and they keep pulling out of tournaments that we’re supposed to play defense. If we don’t play them, we can’t move above them.”
Hill explained that this tournament was pivotal because Willamette would be forced to face LC.
“They’re playing a little bit defensive, but this is their tournament that they’re hosting, so you can’t pull out of your own tournaments. So it’s a big deal that we go play really well. It’s kind of make or break at this point. We gotta wipe the table, but it’s an opportunity that we didn’t have last year. I think we have the players. I think we have the deepest team in the conference where we have all 10 guys who are good enough to make the lineup.”
Tanner Moody ’28 expressed a similar sentiment in reference to his personal and team performance this season in an interview with The Mossy Log on March 4.
“A lot of our teammates are playing really good golf right now. I’m playing some pretty good golf, I just shot my personal best yesterday, actually, so that was nice, and I was playing with Joonho (Moon ’28), and he also shot his personal best,” Moody said. “My biggest improvement has been mentally. I think my mental game has gotten a lot better, I stay pretty focused and calm throughout the round. If I have a bad shot, I don’t let it really affect me that much anymore.”
Blankinship shed light on the offseason, which occurs between the last fall tournament and the first spring tournament, from around October to January.
“We had four tournaments in the fall ending with the Fall Classic at Lake Oswego, where we hosted. There’s a season review that we all do as a group and then individually with the coaches. They’ll go over statistics that we keep throughout the season and basically create an offseason plan from October to January for us to work on. There’s no mandatory practice, but a lot of the people in the team want to work hard, so they choose to usually keep working on their game in the offseason nonetheless,” Blankinship said.
Blankinship continued further, explaining a season breakdown over the span of an academic year and how the team is doing so far.
“Our conference championship is split up into a Fall Classic, a Spring Classic and a Conference Championship. So we already played our Fall Classic, and it’s basically a six-round cumulative event, so our fall actually does directly impact our spring ranking, because how we play in the Fall Classic kind of is where we start for the Spring Classic, and it all adds up,” Blankinship explained. “Unfortunately, we kind of dug ourselves a hole in the fall, but we’ve all been putting in work over the offseason and this spring, we’re definitely looking to close that gap.”
The practice and lifting schedule varies throughout the year. Hill explained their schedule, which contains optional Monday and Tuesday practices with the men’s team at the Tualatin Country Club and the women’s team at Oswego Lake Country Club. On Wednesdays, the teams swap locations, Thursdays they use Griswold Stadium to practice shorter shots, and there are optional Friday practices and weekend afternoon practices.
“We were (lifting) four times a week through the offseason and then in season two to three times (is) required. In season we do qualifying, which is something a lot of other sports don’t do … so when we’re not playing actual tournaments, we play inner-squad tournaments to decide who gets to go represent the team in the actual tournaments,” Hill said.
Hill elaborated further on the energy expense, outlining a day at a golf tournament.
“Going and walking 18 holes. We’ll do both days in the weekends, like a 4,000 calorie burn with 14 miles of walking with a 30-pound bag on your back. So, at the end of the day, when you’re in season, your priority is not to go squat Thursday and be sore Friday-Saturday, because you have to be ready Saturday. I mean, your game has to be in tip-top shape,” Hill said.
Most recently, the men’s and women’s teams played at Creekside Golf Course in the Willamette Valley Cup on March 14 and 15. Prior to the tournament, Hill offered perspective on the event.
Looking ahead, the team has a goal to make nationals and become stronger together. Blankinship elaborated on the team’s aspirations.
“We’re shooting for some lofty goals. The main challenges in the way are just that we’re going to have to play consistently well at every tournament. Golf is such a game of variability that you can win one tournament and come in last in the next tournament. So it’ll be up to the people that qualify at Willamette and George Fox to play well and then it’ll be up to the coaches to pick the best lineups for conference events,” Blankinship said.
Hill mentioned nationals as well and remarked that difficult conditions can be a source of bonding.
“The weather is always difficult,” Hill said. “You’re pretty much guaranteed to play in pretty shitty weather. Just battling through that is always gonna be a challenge. But also, I’d say one thing I’m excited for is that the hardest conditions you play in, whether the course is difficult or the weather’s difficult are always the rounds I remember the most, because you’re like, ‘what the hell am I doing out here,’ and then you walk past your buddy, and he’s doing the same thing. It’s a good bonding moment. I think you bond through adversity, and I think Oregon golf gives you plenty of adversity to bond over.”
LC Golf is shaping up to have a successful spring season, with their next match at the George Fox Invitational at the Arrowhead Golf Club in Molalla, Oregon on March 30 and 31. The future is exciting for the team, as they work towards their goals of making nationals and improving their personal performances.
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