North Plains, Ore. – The 2026 Northwest Conference (NWC) Golf Championships are officially underway following the opening round at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. Both the men’s and women’s championships began with a 9 a.m. shotgun start on Sunday morning, setting the stage for tightly contested leaderboards heading into day two.
Men’s Championship
The Linfield Wildcats surged to the top of the standings after round one, posting a team score of 277 (-7) to take a one-stroke lead into Monday’s action.
Willamette sits close behind in second place at 278 (-6), while Whitman holds third at 283 (-1). Lewis & Clark (293, +9) and Pacific Lutheran (294, +10) round out the top five. George Fox and Pacific are tied for sixth at 297 (+13), followed by Puget Sound (300, +16) and Whitworth (307, +23).
Individually, Linfield’s Brody Landaker leads the field after firing a four-under 68. He is followed closely by a three-way tie for second at 69 (-3), including Linfield’s Douglas Bailey, Whitman’s Grady Brown, and Willamette’s Brock Olson.
A group of four golfers sits just one stroke back at 70 (-2): Willamette’s Michael Baldwin and AJ Papajohn, Linfield’s Kellen Hudson, and Pacific’s Ryan Murphy, keeping the individual race wide open.
Women’s Championship
On the women’s side, Whitworth holds the early lead after carding a team score of 313 (+29). The Pirates maintain a five-stroke advantage over defending champion George Fox, which sits in second at 318 (+34).
Lewis & Clark is in third place at 325 (+41), followed by Whitman (332, +48), Pacific (339, +55), and Pacific Lutheran (345, +61). Puget Sound (355, +71) and Linfield (373, +89) round out the standings.
The individual leaderboard features a four-way tie for first at 76 (+5), including Pacific Lutheran’s Jayda Thomas, Whitworth’s Erin Pierce, George Fox’s Samara D’Silva, and Whitman’s Camila Yoo.
Whitworth’s Carolyn Rose and Pacific’s Bead Boonta are tied for fifth after posting rounds of 78 (+7).
Up Next
Championship play continues Monday, April 20, with another 9 a.m. shotgun start at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.