Western senior Jake Koppenberg looks for the best shot at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Men's Golf National Championships Friday, May 22 at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash. Koppenberg finished the tournament tied for 12th place. // Photo by Katie Greene
Despite having the home course advantage, luck was not on the side of Western senior Jake Koppenberg who tied for 12th place on May 22 at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championship at the Loomis Trail Golf Club in Blaine, Wash.
Bad luck plagued Koppenberg during the four-day tournament; however, a slew of birdies propelled him to a strong finish on Friday with a score of two strokes over par 73. Koppenberg’s final score for the championship was 10 over par 294.
“I never really got on a roll; never really got into rhythm,” Koppenberg said. “Every time I had something good happen, I followed it up with something bad. I just couldn’t get anything rolling all week.”
But it was an improvement for Koppenberg who placed 28th at last year’s NCAA II National Championship in Houston, Texas.
The Loomis Trail Golf Club hosted the national championship for the first time, employing 96 volunteers each day to help run the event and investing $24,000 to bring the course up to NCAA standards by extending its driving ranges and raising its driving range net.
“The way the golf course was set up wasn’t completely familiar to [Jake],” said Steve Card, Western’s men’s golf head coach. “We’re not used to playing Loomis Trail where there are four or five inch roughs and the greens were as fast as they were.”
Koppenberg said one of his favorite parts about competing at the national level was getting the opportunity to face off against the best of the country’s young golfers.
“It’s fun. I met a lot of new guys and made lots of new friends,” Koppenberg said. “At the nationals, it’s the strongest people from the year and you get to compete against the best players. If you do well in that tournament, then you know it’s the best stage [to turn professional].”
Koppenberg averaged 71.12 shots per round this season and is currently the school record holder for the lowest scoring average by an individual player per season.
Although his career for the Vikings has come to an end, Koppenberg will not be putting his golf clubs away just yet.
On May 14, Koppenberg became the fifth pick out of eight chosen to compete in the sectional qualifier for the United States Open Championship. Koppenberg faced off against 164 golfers at the local qualifying tournament at the Home Course in Dupont, Wash.
The U.S. Open is one of four major golf tournaments open to professionals and qualifying amateurs. This year, the tournament will take place June 18-21 at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.
The sectional qualifier is the last step before moving on to play in the U.S. Open. Koppenberg will be competing to earn one of 156 spots at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier on June 8 at the Tumble Creek Golf Club in Roslyn, Wash.
This summer, Koppenberg said he will also be competing in several local tournaments before turning professional in the fall and entering Qualifying School, or Q-School, where golfers compete for a spot on the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour.
“It’s definitely sad to see it come to an end, but I’m ready to go on to bigger things,” Koppenberg said.
Card said it will be tough to lose Koppenberg next season, who, over the past two years, has shattered records and set a high bar for all team members who follow him.
“I think anytime you lose players, especially a player of Jake’s caliber that had the accomplishments that he’s had, it’s a significant loss to your team,” Card said. “Everybody goes through it, and it’s just a part of college athletics. Great players graduate and move on.”
Western freshman Nick Varelia said he learned a lot from Koppenberg from traveling and competing in tournaments alongside of him over the course of the season. Varelia said that although the team will be losing Koppenberg, he’s confident that each member will do their part to fill Koppenberg’s cleats in the new season.
“We’re definitely going to miss a player like [Koppenberg]. He’s definitely the core of the team,” Varelia said. “We’re just going to have to step up.”
Card said next year, rather than having just one outstanding player, he would like to see a lineup of five strong, competent golfers to compete once more for the national title.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a season. We set pretty lofty goals, and I guess unless we win a national championship, there’s always going to be disappointment,” Card said. “I’m looking forward to next year, and I’m excited about next season, and it’s not that far away.”
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