By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The regionally-first ranked Western Washington men’s golf team left no doubt on a soggy Wednesday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course, winning their record 12th Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championships team trophy.
 
The Vikings posted a three-round team score of 855 (274-279-302) to win the tournament by 18 strokes ahead of runner-up Saint Martin’s. WWU has won two-thirds of the 18 GNAC men’s golf conference tournaments since the event’s founding in 2008.
 
While WWU took the team trophy, it was Rasmus Tamker of Saint Martin’s who emerged as the individual medalist. The junior finished with a 1-under-par 212 (69-69-74) to become the third man in school history to win the GNAC Championships. SMU’s other individual champions were Tyler Fitchett in 2021 and Hiro Nezu at the first event in 2008.
 
Piercing rain, temperatures in the low 40s and steady winds around 15 miles per hour made for difficult playing conditions in the tournament finale. It was a far cry from the near-perfect conditions the players enjoyed on each of the first two days of the championship on the par-71, 6,466-yard men’s course layout.
 
Tamker handled the harsh conditions as well as just about anyone, with his 3-over-par 74 in Wednesday’s final round tying for the second-lowest among the field of 25 players. Tamker started his day strong with his first of four birdies, and finished that way too playing at 1-under-par across his final six holes. Tamker made a tournament-high 14 birdies across the three-day event, earning his second-career collegiate tournament win and first as a Saint. Tamker finished in 11th place in his GNAC Championships debut in 2025.
 
Western Washington’s team win was fueled by a lineup that featured all five players within the top-12 on the leaderboard. Competing in the championship for the first time, Rex Wilson led the team with a tie for second place with a three-round score of 213 (70-69-74). Wilson started his final round with an eagle on the opening hole, and remained in title contention through the duration of the round.
 
Tying for fifth on the leaderboard was another Viking in his first GNAC Championship in Christopher Zamani. His 5-under-par 66 in the opening round was tied with teammate Peter Dionne-Yahr for the lowest of the tournament, and Zamani wound up with a three-round total of 215 (66-73-76). Right behind him was Conrad Brown, who placed seventh with a total of 216 (72-69-75). WWU’s Nick Ennis took ninth place at 219 (74-68-77) for his third-career GNAC top-10 finish, and Dionne-Yahr ended the event tied for 12th at 221 (66-78-77).
 
Saint Martin’s finished as the team runner-up with a three-round total of 873 (280-285-308). Along with Tamker’s win, SMU was led by sophomore Parker Sawatzky who took fourth place. An eagle on the par-5, 491-yard 15th hole helped keep the Round 2 leader in title contention late into the final round, and his 13 total birdies at the event were second-most behind Tamker.
 
The best round of the cold, windy day belonged to Simon Fraser’s Brendan O’Brien who defied the elements on his way to a 1-under-par 70. Like he did in Monday’s opening round, O’Brien started his day with an eagle on the par-5, 520-yard first hole on his way to a 2-under-par 33 on the front-nine. He added his lone birdie of the day on the par-4, 334-yard 13th hole. O’Brien was the only player in the tournament with multiple eagles, and overall he played the first hole at 5-under-par at the event. He tied for fifth place on the final leaderboard, with a three-round score of 215 (74-71-70). It was his best-ever finish at the GNAC Championships, after he took eighth last year and tied for 14th place in 2024.
 
O’Brien’s big performance contributed to a third-place finish for the Red Leafs, who shot a three-round score of 876 (290-290-296). Denby Carswell finished eighth on the leaderboard, posting a tournament score of 218 (71-73-74) for his second-career top-10 GNAC finish. Justin Bjornson was also a top-10 performer for the Red Leafs, tying for 10th place with a score of 220 (70-69-81).
 
Pete Netrnilweerachot finished tied for second with a three-round total of even-par 213 (69-69-75), just one stroke behind the champion from SMU. Netrnilweerachot started his day with a birdie on the opening hole, and made nine consecutive pars on the back-nine to finish his round with a chance for the top spot. The Yellowjackets placed fourth as a team, with a three-round score of 881 (288-289-304)
 
Northwest Nazarene completed the field of five GNAC teams, finishing in fifth place with a score of 897 (289-294-314). The Nighthawks were led by a tie for 10th place by Dylan Christensen, who shot a score of 220 (70-74-76).
 
The GNAC Golf Championships will return to the Coeur d’Alene Resort in 2027. The event has been held there 16 times – all but the inaugural tournament and the COVID-impacted 2021 rendition.