Red suited Daniel Patterson just fine Wednesday, during the final round of the 3A district boys golf tournament on the Tri-Mountain golf course in Ridgefield.
“A lot of people liked the pants,” said the Camas High School senior. “I didn’t want to be boring out there.”
After shooting a two-day total of 153 strokes, Patterson won a playoff hole to earn a one-way ticket to the state tournament. He struggled through the first few holes Wednesday, before chipping in an eagle out of the sand on seven.
“That one shot turned my whole round around,” Patterson said. “It definitely feels good to be going straight to state this year. I had to go through bi-districts last year. I didn’t really enjoy that route.
“I had a good round today, and finished in the top six,” he added. “That’s probably what I’ll remember most. I finished well at districts.”
The battle for the district team title went all the way down to the wire, but Mountain View edged Camas for the trophy by two strokes.
“We had four kids who just played their hearts out today,” said head coach Ed Givens. “These guys really demonstrated the ‘don’t give up’ attitude that Camas stands for.”
Braeden Campbell also shot a 153, but he lost the three-way playoff with Patterson and Prairie’s Brian Siedelman to fall to seventh place. After shaving eight strokes off his score in the final round, Cosmo Peng grabbed eighth place with a 154.
“I played pretty well today, just not the first day,” Peng said. “It taught me to think one shot at a time. And never think you’re just going to get a putt in your head. That got me a couple of times.”
After shooting a 159, Brandon Waudbey beat Columbia River’s Lucas Braaflat in a four-hole playoff for 11th place. Waudbey had one of the best scores after the first day. He said the pressure of golfing with the leaders got to him Wednesday, but he still enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep up.
“The front nine was pretty bad, but on the back nine I thought I brought it back,” Waudbey said. “I feel pretty good about that.”
Campbell, Peng and Waudbey still have a shot at state. All three qualified for the bi-district tournament in the spring.
“The main goal is for all of us to be there in the end,” Patterson said.
