Tibbits cruises to third straight 3A district golf title

RIDGEFIELD — His scorecard from Tuesday noted five birdies and no bogeys — A 5-under-par 67 in the final round of the Class 3A District 4 boys golf tournament.
Spencer Tibbits was happy with the round, but not entirely satisfied.
“I couldn’t begin to tell you how many shots I left out there today,” said Tibbits, a junior from Fort Vancouver. “The 67 is respectable. No bogeys is always nice. All in all, I’m happy with it.”
Winning makes everyone feel good. Tibbits, who won the Class 3A state tournament in 2014, feels good a lot.
He completed the tournament at Tri-Mountain Golf Course with a two-day score of 137 — 7-under — for his third consecutive victory in this event.
“I never like losing. It feels good to be a three-time district champion,” he said.
His best score on a par-72 course is a 64, accomplishing that feat five times. But, he said, “61 was in play today.”
That did not happen, but he did make up 10 strokes on par in this tournament to complete his fall high school season. (Tibbits qualified for the state tournament, which will be held in May.)
Tibbits bogeyed the first three holes of the tournament during Monday’s round.
“I just felt like exploding when I got to the fourth hole,” he said. “Three-over after three was not a good feeling at all.”
He steadied himself by remembering there were 15 more holes to play, and that if he could post a 70, he would be in good shape. Sure enough, he did get to 2-under for the day, good enough for a five-stroke lead.
When Tibbits birdied three holes on the front nine Tuesday, he pretty much secured the title.
“It’s pretty relaxing for the most part, but you can never just ease your way on the back-nine,” Tibbits said. “There’s always a chance someone shoots low. You have to stay on top of your game, just to make sure you get the job done.”
Sure enough, there was another player going low on Tuesday.
Columbia River’s Joe Beuselinck carded a 69, finishing in second place with a two-day total of 144.
“This is my favorite course,” Beuselinck said. “I play really well out here.”
He said he is excited about qualifying for state. Two years ago, he was averaging an 85. Last year, he finished fourth in this tournament, and now he is second to a former state champion.
“It’s a good improvement,” Beuselinck said.
He helped Columbia River to the team title, as well. River scored 218 points to beat Kelso, which had 170 points.
Nick Ayres of Columbia River finished third, also qualifying directly to state. The next five golfers will play in a bi-district tournament in the spring for a final shot to make it to state.