Mead’s Benjamin Mulder shoots 8-under 62, captures GSL player of the year honors

Benjamin Mulder picked a good time – the Greater Spokane League’s final event of the season – to post the best competitive score of his young golf career.

The Mead High senior shook off a bogey on No. 1 by playing the next 17 holes in 9 under on a gorgeous Monday afternoon at Wandermere Golf Course. It added up to an 8-under 62 that earned him GSL player of the year honors.

“I hit my driver really good, I finally started making some putts and it just went my way,” Mulder said.

Mulder rallied past Gonzaga Prep sophomore Dillon Schrock to claim player of the year. Mulder’s three counting scores came in the last three matches – 69, 68 and 62 (199). Schrock, who shot 73 Monday, finished two shots behind Mulder with his counting scores of 61-70-70.

Mead’s boys and the Lewis and Clark girls added some individual hardware to go with their respective Greater Spokane League championship trophies.

The Panthers fired a 15-under 265 with Mulder’s twin brother Bradley carding a 67 and Ben Jones and Ben Barrett adding 68s. Mead won all five GSL events. Gonzaga Prep and LC shared second at 290 and both advanced to the 4A District 8 Tournament.

The LC girls led the way again with a team score of 330. The individual race ended with LC’s Amanda Nguyen and Mead’s Brooke Bloom sharing the top spot with three-score totals of 223. Both shot 76 on Monday.

Mulder’s low score didn’t come out of the blue. He shot a 61 at Wandermere recently – not in a tournament setting – and fired a 65 at a tournament at Dominion Meadows in Colville.

He missed a 3-foot par putt on the opening hole, but responded with five birdies to make the turn in 31. He closed with another 31.

He had some good fortune along the way. His drive on the 315-yard par-4 15th trickled over the cart path left of the green and stopped in the rough, staying inbounds by about two feet. He proceeded to make par.

“That was crazy,” said Mulder, who has signed with Northwest Nazarene next year.

Nguyen and Bloom were neck and neck throughout the GSL season and nothing changed at Wandermere. Bloom had the upper hand early, but Nguyen closed the gap on the back nine.

Both had chances to win outright on the last hole. Nguyen missed a 10-foot birdie putt and Bloom three-putted from about six feet.

“I just missed a few putts, but I was driving the ball really well and hit a lot of greens,” Bloom said. “I made an unfortunate three-putt (on the final hole), but that’s OK.”

Bloom played with older sisters Charlotte and Libby on previous Mead teams, but Brooke is the first to win player of the year honors.

Asked if she might mention that to her sisters, Brooke smiled and said, “I probably will. We’re still pretty competitive.”

Nguyen said she tried to concentrate on her game and not worry about the player of the year competition.

“It was a tough, but fun round,” the sophomore said. “On the final nine I pulled myself together and shot 36.”