By Jesse Muñoz
COC Sports Information Director
BAKERSFIELD — College of the Canyons saw all four scoring players finish in the top 10 of the individual standings, including medalist Anthony Nilson, as the Cougars won a third straight Western State Conference event at Rio Bravo Country Club last week.
Canyons (50-2, 21-0) maintained its perfect conference record with a four-player team score of 292, finishing seven strokes ahead of runner-up Santa Barbara City College (299). Ventura College (304) took third in the field of eight schools.
Nilson’s season-best round of 69 left him 3-under par as the tourney medalist. He is the third different Cougar to bring home medalist honors at a conference event this season.
COC sophomore Ed Beehag finished at 73 in a three-way tie for second place, continuing his streak of finishing in the top 10 for a third straight conference event.
Jacques Struyf and Arnaud Bouhaniche were both part of a four-way tie in ninth place with scores of 75.
Struyf continues to play well and was recently named the WSC men’s golf athlete of the month for February. Bouhaniche was named the college’s student-athlete of the week for the period running Feb. 23-28.
Nilson’s score moved the sophomore into a tie with Struyf atop the season-long WSC standings. Bouhaniche was ranked fourth with Beehag close behind in sixth place after three WSC tournaments.
Kai Willen played in his first WSC event of the season at Rio Bravo and shot a round of 76 to finish in a four-way tie for 13th in the field of 48 players. Despite the positive result, Willen had his score scratched from the final team tally. Carl Magnus Aagren also competed for Canyons but had his round of 84 dropped from team scoring.
The Cougars’ next competition was scheduled Monday at the conference event being hosted by Santa Barbara City College at Alisal Ranch Golf Course in Solvang.
