BURLINGTON — The rule of thumb in Western Washington is if you don’t play golf in the rain, you don’t play golf.

It still seemed a little optimistic to see Lynden’s Kyle Crabtree wearing a pair of sunglasses atop his rainsoaked head of hair during Tuesday’s second round of the Class 2A Northwest District boys’ golf tournament at a soggy Skagit Golf and Country Club.

“There’s really nothing to it,” Crabtree said of the sunglasses. “I just played with them last year and figured I might as well keep it going this year.”

Whatever works ... and evidently the sunglasses did just that.

Crabtree, who was the firstround leader by three strokes, managed to hold off hardcharging Bryant D’Hondt of Bellingham, claiming the district crown on the second playoff hole after the two finished with matching two-day scores of 142.

“This is big for me, because I’ve never won a high school tournament before,” Crabtree said. “I’ve come close a number of times, and I finished sixth at state last year, but it seems like I always just get beat out.”

It couldn’t have come at a much better time for his confidence, as he prepares for next week’s Class 2A state tournament, which will be held at Loomis Trail Country Club Tuesday and Wednesday.

Crabtree will be joined by seven other Whatcom County Class 2A boys’ golfers who qualified Tuesday by finishing in the top 19. D’Hondt, obviously, will join him, as will

Lynden’s Will Holdridge and Sehome’s Scott Pelo, who tied for third seven strokes behind the leaders at 149.

Lynden will send four golfers in all, as Tate Dallas (156) and Eric Hersman (160) finished tied eighth and tied for 10th, respectively.

Two Mariners golfers qualified, as Reid McEvoy placed 18th at 163 to join Pelo.

Blaine will send sophomore Marcus Yu, after he shot a twoday total of 160. Yu was pleased by his 81 on Tuesday after he shot a 94 on the second day of last year’s district tournament and missed qualifying for state.

“Last year, I put way too much pressure on myself on the second day,” Yu said. “This year, I just tried to stay relaxed ... It’s really exciting to be going to state.”

Sehome’s Joel Lawrence narrowly missed becoming the ninth Whatcom County 2A boys’ golfer to qualify, as he finished in a tie with South Whidbey’s John Lindsay for the 19th and final spot at 164. Lindsay managed to win the final berth on the second hole of a playoff, relegating Lawrence to the role of first alternate.

McEvoy just avoided being a part of that playoff, as he chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole.

“I had an idea that that might be a big shot,” McEvoy said. “But I didn’t know exactly. I just tried to stay calm and do what I needed to do to make the shot ... I had a list of goals for myself at the start of the year, and for me this was the biggest goal.”

D’Hondt’s biggest goal during the district tournament, besides securing a trip to state, was to shoot his first round under par since coming off surgery in November to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

He was the only player in the field to accomplish that goal Tuesday, as he shot a 1-under 70.

“To do that today is very big for me,” D’Hondt said.

The next lowest round on the rainy day was Crabtree’s 73, a score he needed to make to hold off D’Hondt.

“I had to grind it out,” D’Hondt said. “He birdied the first hole, and I knew with the conditions it wasn’t going to be easy, so I just tried to make sure I kept making pars.”

“It was a challenging day out there,” Crabtree said. “It was pouring the whole time.”

The rain didn’t let up for the playoff, either.

D’Hondt had a chance to win on the first playoff hole, when Crabtree’s 25-foot birdie slid just past the hole, but D’Hondt left his six-footer from below the cup inches short.

He then caught a bad break on the second playoff hole, when his approach shot caught the back side of a berm in front of the green and scooted off into a puddle behind the green. After taking a drop out of the puddle, he couldn’t get enough on a chip from the spongy surface to reach the green.

He did manage to hole out his next chip to keep the pressure on Crabtree, but the Lynden junior made his shot to clinch the title.

“He played a great tournament,” D’Hondt said. “He nearly made that 25-foot putt on the first playoff hole, and then he made two great shots on 18, including the one in regulation. And he shot a 69 on the first day. My hat goes off to him.”