Darling leads Bulldogs at Palouse Invitational

PULLMAN, Wash. — Bulldog head golf coach Tom Tharp has coached a lot of years in North Idaho, so when he says the conditions on Thursday at the Palouse Invitational were the worst he’d ever seen, it’s saying something.

That didn’t stop a strong and consistent performance from the Bulldog boys, who had all four scoring players break 100, no small accomplishment at a tough Palouse Ridge Course made much more so by the weather.

“We drove through a snow storm, and it was snowing lightly when we teed off,” described Tharp, noting temps in the low 40s and a bitter wind made scoring tough. “It was cold, windy and wet, and then after we finished the sun came out. Our goal was to break 100; in that weather, that’s outstanding.”

Caelan Darling led the way with a 94, followed closely by Lake Wilks at 95 for the balanced Bulldogs. Darling finished last season strong, and worked on his game over the summer, and it’s starting to pay dividends.

“His drives were good, everything is coming together for him,” said Tharp. “If he can shoot 94 in this weather, he should be in the low 80s soon.”

The Bulldog boys and girls are at the Coeur d’Alene Public course on Monday.

n SANDPOINT — Joel Johnson 97, Lake Wilks 95, Caelan Darling 94, Harley Wilks 101, Seth McCutchan 99.