Idaho men’s golf put up a fight to end the Big Sky Championship in third place, just four strokes behind the winning Sacramento State Hornets. The Vandals finished the three-day tournament two strokes over par, with a score of 866. They were hot on the heels of Weber State, who finished with one less stroke to secure second place. Northern Colorado was the fourth team to compete, placing last with a score of 876.
Five players from each school took to the course on Tuesday, April 25, to compete for their team’s glory. Though Idaho didn’t win the team championship, one of their players showed that he can compete with the best of them. English sophomore Joe Sykes had the best single performance and was the individual champion, meaning his season is not over. Sykes will represent Idaho at the Division I regional tournament.
Sykes will find out where he will be playing on May 1 for the NCAA Regional tournament. Regionals will take place on May 13-15 at six sites across the country.
He finished seven under par to beat Sacramento State’s Gabriel Smith and Weber State’s Isaac Buerger who tied for second with a four-under score. Sykes is now the third Vandal ever to win an individual conference championship in men’s golf. He joins Jared Du Toit who won the Big Sky title in 2015 and Dale Faylor who earned the Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division co-championship in 1952.
Sykes played his best round right from the start, ending the first day three under par. He finished both Wednesday and Thursday at two under.
Idaho golfer Sam Johnson, another sophomore from England, was the next lowest scoring Vandal. He finished the third round and the tournament one under par in a three-way tie for fifth place.
The other players from UI were grad student Johannes Hounsgaard, grad student TJ Patterson and junior Dalton Dean. Hounsgaard shot three over while Patterson finished seven over. Dean only scored in the final round of play, ending the tournament with 79 strokes.
For most of the Idaho men’s golf team, the 2024 season has ended. Though they’ll continue to support their teammate Sykes, along with the rest of the Vandal nation.
Willie Gibbs can be reached at [email protected]