Beacons Beat Corban for First Tourney Win in Five Years

RESULTS

BLUE RIVER, Ore. – Trailing Corban University by three shots after a rough first round at the Eugene Country Club, the Bushnell men’s golf team roared back at Tokatee Golf Club on Tuesday, shooting even par to take the Tall Timber Invitational championship by 12 strokes.

It was the first tournament victory for the Beacons since April 2021.

“Words cannot express how happy I am for our entire group of athletes,” said Bushnell Director of Golf and Head Men’s Coach Nathan Wiedenmann. The Tall Timber presented some difficult challenges, led by our most challenging golf course of the year at Eugene Country Club. It is such a beautiful place, but that golf course can really bite you. Scores were high yesterday and this was a direct reflection of its difficulty.  

“Our guys really responded today at Tokatee. We started down three shots and won by twelve and we played some of our most balanced golf of the year, tee to green. We constantly talk about remaining present, letting go of the result and focusing our energy on execution. In the end, the team did exactly that and came out on top. This was a really big win for our guys and we will continue to build on these philosophies moving forward.

The unique tournament, spanning two renowned Lane County golf courses, saw the Beacons win their home event with a 307-288—595 total, easily outpacing the Warriors in second (304-303—607). The Beacons “B” team followed in third-place with an impressive 321-294—615) as they defeated Southern Oregon (618) by three strokes.   

College of Idaho (630) took fifth, followed by Simpson (632), Southern Oregon’s “B” team (635) and Walla Walla (638).

Bushnell was all over the leaderboard with six men in the top-ten as senior Connor Cameron and freshman Lincoln Wiedenmann tied for medalist honors. The duo posted identical two-over par scores of 75-71—146. They ended up in the same place but took much different paths to get there.

For Cameron, a steady Tuesday round saw him make par 11 times, adding five birdies, including on 18 as he hit a 15-foot putt to seal the draw. Wiedenmann began his day with three straight birdies, recovered from a triple-bogey on six, and posted four more birdies on the back nine.  

Coach Wiedenmann said, “I can’t say enough good things about our co-medalists.  Connor just played some consistent, beautiful golf and really remained present.  He handled the moment beautifully and earned every ounce of his first collegiate medal. Lincoln is doing some really special things as a freshman. He was top-five in Montana, and then came in to earn his first medal on not one but two challenging tracks.  He has quite a bit of runway ahead of him and I am excited to watch him grow.

Close behind the winning duo for the Beacons was Luke Fenner in third (77-70—147). Coach Wiedenmann said, “Luke had a great day today posting a two-under and really moved up the board. I am truly happy for him.”

Trison Hedges (77-74—151) and Shawn Petty (77-74—151) followed, tied for sixth.  Wiedenmann said, “Shawn and Trison played some very high-level golf. These guys all want to compete so bad and really worked hard. I thought both of those guys battled through some significant obstacles.”

Jacob Holmes (80-72—152) earned ninth, playing with the “A” team for the first time this season. Holmes had a strong even-par second round that included just one bogie along with one birdie and 16 holes at par. “Jacob played some really solid golf today,” said Wiedenmann. “We talk about cutting off the top of the mountain and filling in the valleys, to establish more balance in a round. I am Incredibly proud of how he executed that game plan.”

Bushnell’s other golfers on the split squads included Sam Tunstill (80-77—157) in 18th, Peyton Wiedenmann (81-77—158) in 23rd, Cody Adams (88-73—161) in 28th and Ryland Carroll (87-79—166) in 37th.

Leading a group of four individuals was Talon Larson (83-77—160) in 26th.

“I can’t say enough good things about this Bushnell family,” added Coach Wiedenmann. “Hard work, commitment to excellence, perseverance, and steadfastness.  The ingredients to build great men.  All the athletes deserve the credit, and it’s just a tremendous blessing for me and my staff to get the opportunity to provide a guiding hand.  It was truly a great day to be a Beacon!”

Up Next: The Beacons will play one more tournament this fall, traveling to Buckeye, Arizona on November 16 for the Firestorm Fall Invitational, hosted by Arizona Christian University at Verrado Golf Club.