Golf is back.
Actually, golf, or the golf season, has been going on for months.
High school golf IS back. And that is reason enough to celebrate for Spencer Tibbits.
One of the best junior golfers in the Northwest, the senior from Fort Vancouver has had a chance to give himself a break.
“I feel a little better after all the travel and stuff from the summer. It’s good to be back in school,” Tibbits said. “I feel mentally and physically a lot better. High school golf is fun.”
Tibbits recorded a 3-under-par 69 Tuesday to win the Jeff Hudson Invitational, one of the premier events of the regular season for boys golf in Southwest Washington.
“If you told anyone it’s a 69, they’d think that was really good,” he said. “Honestly, I wasn’t very happy with it. I had so many putts lipping out. It was so discouraging.”
Still, a win is a win.
As far as the team title, well, those winners were thrilled with their performance. The Union Titans fired even par — as a team — to cruise to a huge victory.
“We just went out there and played our game,” said junior Keith Lobis, who shot a 71 and finished second in the individual competition. “We’ve been playing golf together for a long time, and we’re all getting better as a team, getting ready for district and state.”
Lobis knew how he was doing, but he said it was really fun when all the Titans gathered around the scoring area to compare rounds.
“We were turning in all the scores. We shot even par? That’s incredible for four people,” Lobis said. “It was an amazing experience. Never been a part of something like it.”
Ben Gruher and Dylan Henry each shot even-par 72 for the Titans, and Hayden Meeker recorded a 73.
If anything, this was statement proclaiming the Titans are looking for more than just a district title this school season.
“We’re trying to be humble in victory,” Lobis said. “But we’re practicing hard and we’re ready to compete when the time comes.”
Tibbits clearly expects to be on top again by next spring. That’s why he is not satisfied when he shoots a 69 on a day that could have been a 66 or better.
“What do you do? It’s not like I did anything bad today,” he said. “The putts just didn’t drop.”
Regardless, enough putts did drop for another round in the 60s for the two-time state champion, who is ready for his final year of high school golf.
Drive for three: Tibbits will be aiming for his third Class 3A state championship this year after winning it in his freshman and junior seasons.
College choice: Tibbits also reported that he plans on signing with Oregon State University. Signing day for golfers is Nov. 9.
“I talked to a few colleges,” he said. “Oregon State ended up being the one that was the best fit for me.”
Columbia River at 2A: For years, Class 2A is where Hockinson dominated in Southwest Washington. But now with River making the move to 2A, it’s a new game. River is stacked with Kyle Gomez, Spencer Long and Joe Beuselinck.
The new 3A: With River gone, Prairie looks to be the class of the 3A Greater St. Helens League behind Gage Hannon and Jacob Abrahamson.
More in the 4A: While Union dominated play Tuesday, the 4A GSHL has many good teams, with Camas, Skyview and Battle Ground able to post some quality scores.
