LEWISTON, Ida. – Coming off a pair of Canada West Championship titles in their last outing, the UBC Thunderbirds continued their winning ways this season as both sides claimed the top spot at the Lewis-Clark State Fall Invitational at the Lewiston Golf and Country Club on Tuesday afternoon.
Teeing off for their second Cascade Collegiate Conference event of the campaign, the UBC men's team (-7) finished strong, posting an 8-under par in their third round to overcome the hosts on the final day and claim a three-stroke victory. At the same time, the women's side (+14) surged late to secure a decisive 13-stroke advantage and claim another title as both squads stayed perfect in conference play this year.
The reigning CCC Player of the Year, UBC's
Keira Hou, added on to her already impressive collegiate resume by shooting a 1-under par across both rounds to secure the top spot individually for a second straight event, marking a top-two finish in each of her last six conference appearances.
Not far behind was fellow T-Bird
Sarah Yang (+2), who secured second place after closing out the event with an even score in the final round.
Cadence Ko (+5),
Sienna Harder (+11), and
Morgan Best (+13) rounded out the solid showing that lifted the blue and gold to the tournament win.
The 'Birds (-7) men didn't have as much breathing room as their bout went down to the wire against the hosts, the Lewis-Clark State Warriors (-4). UBC jumped out to the top spot after a collective 4-under par in the opening round but fell to fourth after round two. The two sides were neck-and-neck as the third round neared its end. The Warriors held a one-stroke lead, but
Aneesh Kaura (-3) and
Jake Houston (-1) combined to shoot 5-under par in the final 18 holes to propel the T-Birds to the top spot.
Leighton Wright (-1) matched teammate Houston's outing for fourth place, highlighted by an eagle on the par-five sixth hole during round two. Next up for UBC were
Manpreet Lalh (+1),
Forrest Van Alstine (+5), and
Tim Hachey (+8), who chipped in en route to the win.
Both sets of T-Birds will be making a jaunt to Bremerton, Washington, for their next matchup as they will suit up for the OUAZ Fall Invite at Gold Mountain. The two-day event begins Monday, October 26, before closing out the following day on October 27 at the Gold Mountain Golf Club.
