Koppenberg Loses In Round of 32 at United States Amateur

Western Washington University golfer Jake Koppenberg saw his outstanding run end, losing 6 and 5 to Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif., in the morning match-play round Thursday at the 2008 U.S. Men's Amateur being held at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club.

Koppenberg, a senior from Everett, had reached the round of 32 Wednesday by defeating Sam Smith from Turlock , Calif. , 2 and 1, in the first round of match play.

Koppenberg got to match play by tying for 20th in the stroke play portion of the tournament Monday and Tuesday, shooting a 1-over par 141 for the 36 holes.  That pared the 315-man field to 64.  

Fowler, a sophomore at Oklahoma State , is the No.2 ranked amateur in the world and played in the U.S. Open this summer.  He was a first-team NCAA Division I All-American and received the Phil Mickelson Award recognizing the most outstanding freshman in Division I golf.   

Koppenberg got to Pinehurst by placing second in a sectional qualifier held at Chamber's Bay Golf Club near Tacoma .  There he shot a 36-hole total of 2-under 142.

WWU's Packer Named All-America Scholar

Western Washington golfer Sean Packer has been named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar, one of just 26 NCAA Division II student-athletes to receive the honor from the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The honoree must be a junior or senior academically and have competed at least two full years at the collegiate level. He must have participated in 70 percent of his team's competitive matches or in the NCAA Championships, have a stroke average under 78.0 and maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 (4.0 scale).

A fifth-year senior, Packer was Western's 2007-08 Male Athlete of the Year, having the second highest finish in school history as he tied for third place at nationals, just one stroke behind the co-leaders.

Packer, a 2003 graduate of Auburn-Riverside High School, received GCAA third-team All-America and first-team West Region and GNAC all-star honors, finishing with a 72.3 scoring average.

At nationals, Packer had three rounds of par or better, finishing 1-under 279 for the four-day, 72-hole tournament. One shot off the lead with four holes to go and the leaders in the clubhouse, he gave himself two good birdie chances to tie or win.

Packer began the season with three top 10 performances in his first four tournaments. He did not have another until the GNAC Championships after fully recovering from a bout with pneumonia.

At the league tournament, which was won by Western, Packer placed seventh. He finished ninth at regionals as the Vikings placed second.

Packer maintained a 3.42 GPA while earning a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing. He was a three-time GNAC academic all-star. The national appearance was the third for Packer, who placed 35th in 2006 and 81st in 2004.

Koppenberg, Packer All-Americans

Koppenberg, who earned second team honors, posted a school-record 71.3 scoring average, tying for 28th place at nationals and finishing in a tie for second at the West Regional.

Packer, who was named to the third team, had the second highest national finish in school history as he tied for third at the NCAA II Championships, just one stroke behind the co-leaders. He finished with a 72.3 scoring average, shooting six rounds in the 60s and placing among the top 10 in six tournaments.

Packer was a first-team West Region selection for the second time and a first-team GNAC all-star, placing ninth at regionals and tying for seventh at the league tourney.

WWU To Host 2009 National Championships

Steve Card

Western Washington University will host the 2009 NCAA Division II National Men's Golf Championship on May 19-22 at the Loomis Trail Golf and Country Club and the Semiahmoo Resort and Spa.

This is the first NCAA championship that Western has hosted in any sport. The Vikings had the men's golf Super Regional in 2004, and regional championships in men's and women's basketball, cross country and women's golf. (more)

2007-08 Daily Reports (Including Golf Stories)