3A boys golf: Fort’s Tibbits holds off defending champ for 3A state title

RIDGEFIELD — The two-time defending state champion charged up the leaderboard, playing in the penultimate group of the Class 3A state boys golf championships.

Competing in the final group Thursday, the freshman who had the lead after the first round was trying to find his putting touch.

That winning touch arrived just in time Thursday for Fort Vancouver’s Spencer Tibbits, who made a long, double-breaker for birdie on No. 17 at Tri-Mountain Golf Course. It was a putt worthy of a championship.

“It’s real,” Tibbits said, holding his first-place medal. “It’s an honor.”

Tibbits fired his second two-under-par 70 of the tournament to finish at 4-under with a 140 total.

Frank Garber of Juanita, the two-time defending champion, had the round of the tournament, firing a 68 to fall a shot short with a two-day total of 141.

“He’s a really good player. I look up to him,” Tibbits said.

Garber, who will be playing for the University of Washington after high school, birdied four of his first six holes Thursday and was tied with Tibbits after each player made the turn. With no live scoreboard, the players were on their own to try to figure out how others were faring.

“My coach asked me if I wanted to know. I didn’t want to know,” Tibbits said, referring to a conversation after No. 9 on Thursday.

By the time he got to No. 14, Tibbits changed his mind.

“I only had five holes left,” Tibbits said. “If I was behind by a couple of shots, I would have liked to have known.”

Instead, he was told he was tied.

The two players remained there until No. 17.

“I was struggling. I couldn’t get any putts to fall most of the round,” Tibbits said. “I finally made a really good one on 17.”

He described it as 25 feet, uphill with a lot of break to the right, and then a lot of break to the left just before the hole.

“I knew it was going in the last three feet,” Tibbits said.

The birdie gave him the lead, but there was one hole left, a par-5.

Tibbits acknowledged he looked ahead to Garber’s group.

“I saw he was on, but he had a really long putt,” Tibbits said, noting that he also figured it was a birdie putt, not an eagle putt, because the hole was playing long, into the wind.

Sure enough, it was a long birdie putt for Garber, who ended up settling for par on the hole.

Unlike Tibbits, Garber did not know anything about the scoring from other players.

“I was just trying to play the best I could,” Garber said. “I had a feeling we were close. I had a feeling I had to birdie the 18th.”

He was right.

When Tibbits’ third shot found the green, just 10 feet or so away from the hole, Tibbits knew he had two putts for the title.

“It feels pretty amazing,” Tibbits said.

Columbia River’s Spencer Long, who was in second place after a first-round 71, shot a 79 on Thursday to finish in a tie for fifth. He and Brandon Barnes (tie for 12th) provided the Chieftains with enough points to take third in the team standings.

“More than I was expecting,” said Long, also a freshman. “Pretty great experience, and it gets me used to playing tournaments.”

He was in the final group with Tibbits.

“I knew he was going to win since the beginning of the season,” Long said, referring to playing with Tibbits in the fall.

Mountain View’s Zach Ng also earned a medal, finishing seventh. He fired a 2-over 74 in the final round.

Interlake of Bellevue won the team title. Bishop Blanchet of Seattle was second.

Class 3A State Boys Golf Tournament

at Tri-Mountain Golf Course, Ridgefield

Champion: Spencer Tibbits (Fort Vancouver) 140

Team champion: Interlake

Team points: Interlake 76.5; Bishop Blanchet 65.8; Columbia River 64; Hanford 57.5

Individual results

Spencer Tibbits (Fort Vancouver) 70-70–140

Frank Garber (Juanita) 73-68–141

Halen Davis (Stanwood) 73-72–145

Grant Cole (Interlake) 72-74–145

Eric Dahl (Hanford) 75-75–150

Spencer Long (Columbia River) 71-79–150

Zach Ng (Mountain View) 77-74–151

Andy Liu (Interlake) 81-71–152

Spencer Clapp (Decatur) 78-75–153

Trent Jones (Shorecrest) 77-76–153

Adam Barker (Peninsula) 74-79–153

Logan Davis (Kelso) 77-77–154

Brandon Barnes (Columbia River) 77-77–154

Austin Brown (Southridge) 79-76–155

Sam Stiles (Mt. Spokane) 79-76–155

Cameron Cooper (Bishop Blanchet) 75-80–155

Peter Conroy (Bishop Blanchet) 74-81–155

Alex Nelson (Mt. Si) 80-76–156

Ryan Sheardown (Kennedy Catholic) 79-77–156

Omari Rollins (Lincoln) 77-79–156

Stuart Schachle (Shorewood) 77-79–156

Curtis Koltermann (Bonney Lake) 77-79–156

Austin Meng (Mt. Spokane) 76-80–156

Rowan Foxley (O’Dea) 75-81–156

Blake Cooper (Bishop Blanchet) 80-77–157

Mitchell DeAndre (Shelton) 78-79–157

Josh Erickson (Enumclaw) 77-80–157

Alec Charles (Peninsula) 77-80–157

Ryan Ray (Hanford) 81-77–158

Thomas Hannu (Hanford) 80-78–158

Grant Cation (Shelton) 78-80–158

Quinn Williams (Bonney Lake) 79-80–159

Shae Gurney (Kamiakin) 76-83–159

Trevor Frisby (Meadowdale) 81-79–160

Colin Joy (Interlake) 81-79–160

Jake Ryerson (Kennedy Catholic) 80-80–160

Giebien Na (Lakeside-Seattle) 79-81–160

Matt Jenson (Mountlake Terrace) 80-81–161

Blaine Gilmore (Kelso) 76-85–161

T.J. Gilbrough (Bishop Blanchet) 81-82–163

Zach Evens (Mercer Island) 81-82–163

Mac Kerfoot (Oak Harbor) 79-84–163

Nicholas Dixon (University) 80-84–164

Phillip Flexer (Shadle Park) 80-85–165

Harrison Bragg (Lakes) 76-90–166

Nick Renner (Mt. Spokane) 81-87–168

Chase Anderson (Stanwood) 81-88–169