McPherson, NWC teams start well

Jon McPherson felt the pressure.

McPherson, the District 7 B boys golf champion from Lind-Ritzville, finished second twice in the State B tournament before L-R moved up to 1A for the 2004 season. Now back in the B tournament as a senior in 2005, McPherson came in as the favorite.

“Everybody asks me, ‘So, you’ve pretty much got this thing wrapped up, huh?’ ” McPherson said. “I just say, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna try,’ “

Even after a double bogey on the 17th hole and a bogey on No. 18, McPherson shot even-par 70 to take a four-shot lead over Pateros’ Dustin Zahn heading into today’s final round at Esmeralda Golf Course.

“I was putting pretty good the first few holes, hitting a lot of 15-, 20-footers,” McPherson said. “Some holes, the putting saved me.”

Despite the lead, McPherson isn’t concerned this morning with this afternoon’s outcome.

“I try not to think about it, try to put the scores out of my mind,” McPherson said. “I try not to think of the bigger picture, just focus on the task at hand.”

Northwest Christian’s bigger picture may include a pair of team titles. Led by John Graham, whose 76 puts him in third place, the Crusaders boys were the only team in the B boys tournament to have three players place in the top 20 and advance to the final round.

Joining Graham will be Jesse Vowels, who shot 78 to forge a four-way tie for fifth, and Jared McConahey, who shot 81 to join a four-way tie for 11th.

On the girls’ side, the Crusaders carried the momentum of last week’s District 7/9 1A/B championship run to Downriver Golf Course.

Juniors Krystal Pitkonen and Lianne Matkin shot 83 and 88, respectively, to put NWC in the 1A/B girls team lead over Charles Wright and Seattle Christian.

Pitkonen’s 83 put her four strokes behind leader and pre-tournament favorite Marianne Banton of Bear Creek, who finished second in 2004.

Unlike McPherson on the boys’ side, Banton said there was no pressure on her coming into state.

“I thought there would be, but I don’t feel it,” she said. “I was in the No. 1 tee box and I was first teeing off, and I didn’t feel any pressure.”

Any pressure Banton may feel today would come from Chance Runge of Raymond and Courtney Shrout of Okanogan, who are tied for second at 81. Pitkonen is in fourth, and Matkin is tied for sixth.

•In the 1A boys tournament, also at Esmeralda, Life Christian is well on its way to a third straight team title. The Eagles advanced all four of their players, including tournament leader Andrew Putnam.

Putnam, the 2004 champion, shot 3-under 67, which leads Jason Azzarito of Kettle Falls by two strokes. After bogeying No. 2, Azzarito birdied the next three holes on his way to 34 on the front nine.

Freeman’s Devon Moe was the only other Northeast A player to qualify for the final round. Moe’s 72 is part a five-way tie for fifth.