After a wildly successful first college season, not even a looming slate of finals could keep Spencer Tibbits from competing in his home tournament.
Despite not being done with his first year of college, the former Fort Vancouver High standout-turned Oregon State’s No. 1 golfer made sure to find time to return to make a run at his second Royal Oaks Invitational Tournament win.
What he says makes the ROIT such a challenge is not the familiarity of the course — he’s played it hundreds, if not thousands of times.
It’s the pin placements, tee box spot and other various ways the course ramps up its degree of difficulty for its annual invitational with some of the top college and amateur talent in the region.
That’s why Tibbits doesn’t lean on one aspect of his game. Rather, he relies on experience.
“I’ve been in contention in this tournament three straight years. I know what it’s like to be in contention here,” he said. “I’ve just got to trust my abilities. I’ve won a lot of tournaments under pressure like this.”
After winning three Class 3A state titles in four years at Fort Vancouver, Tibbits made an immediate splash in Corvallis.
He posted a team-lowest average score (71.85, sixth-best in school history) in 11 tournaments played, notched three top-10 finishes and was named to the Pac-12’s all-freshman team.
Before the season started, he was wary of what a challenge college golf would be. He’d never played these types of championship courses against this level of talent, he told himself.
“I felt a little pressure going in,” Tibbits said. “I feel like I was expected to do pretty well.”
Even for someone as admittedly mentally disciplined as Tibbits is, he was pleased.
“I played well,” he said. “I think it’s a success.”
That play has carried into day two of the ROIT.
After shooting a steady 1-under on the second day midday Saturday to put him one stroke away from the lead at 2-under overall, Tibbits knows he’s within striking distance.
He finished 1-over on the front nine before posting a bogey-free, two-birdie back nine. On hole 14, a par four, he was visibly displeased with an approach that found the front of the green, then responded by drilling his longest putt of the day.
“Took me however many holes to get a putt like that to drop, good to see it go in,” he said.
After signing his scorecard, Tibbits was approached by Mountain View freshman (and recently 3A state champ) Graham Moody and Camas freshman Owen Huntington — both standouts on the high school scene locally and statewide — with congratulatory greetings.
Tibbits is four years older, but remembers when he was in their shoes. He hopes to pass on any knowledge he can to them, just like his mentors have done to him.
“I try to play with them as much as I can,” Tibbits said.” They’ve got a lot of talent.”
Going forward, Tibbits’ next goal is to post his first college tournament win.
He went 11-under once last season, and he feels he’s knocking on the door.
“I just have to keep building on what I have and see what happens,” he said.
Harvie leads by 1
Joe Harvie, a Seattle University senior golfer from Orting, shot a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday to lead the ROIT by one stroke.
Tibbits is in a group of four tied for second. Camas High grad and Boise State sophomore Brian Humphreys is tied for sixth, two shots back after a 73.
The tournament concludes today.
