RESULTS

SALEM, Ore. – Joshua Cross fired a 1-under-par on the weekend to lead the Pacific Lutheran men's golf team at the NWC Fall Classic.

The junior shot a 1-under in the first round Saturday and even par in the second round Sunday at Creekside Golf Club in Salem.

"My ball-striking has been a big focus the last couple weeks at practice, so it was nice to see all the hard work pay off," Cross said. "I hit more greens in regulation in this tournament than I have in any other event this season."

Cross tied for third in the medalist standings, while the Lutes were fifth out of nine teams overall.

"We got off to a slow start on Day 1, but rallied the best we could," men's golf coach Tyler Copp said. "Josh Cross led the charge all weekend. His confidence is sky high right now and it's evident that his ball striking is as good as it gets in our league.

"Josh Clogston also put together a couple of great days. His scores weren't reflective of how well he really played both days. We expect those two will continue to be in contention when we head to Walla Walla next."

The Lutes finished with a two-round total of 613. Whitworth won the tournament at 577 strokes, while Bucs golfer Jacob Rawley and Whitman's Alex Knox tied for medalist honors with 141s.

Clogston wasn't too far behind his teammate, finishing 16^th with a two-round total of 150. Koen Solis tied for 25^th with 159 strokes, Hunter Olson was 35^th at 164 and Cole Van Duyn tied for 40^th at 172.

"Overall, I'm really proud of how I played," Cross said. "It can never hurt to work more on my putting. I definitely left some strokes out there on the greens because of my speed control.

"It feels great to know that my performance reflects well on my coaches and PLU athletics."

The Lutes are back in action for the final time this fall Oct. 23 and 24 at the Confluence Classic in Walla Walla.