Sports

POSTED: Monday, Sep. 01, 2008

Killmer wins Bellingham Amateur by four strokes

BELLINGHAM - In a year without golf, Chris Killmer went from being a C student to a B student at the University of Washington. Now he has the satisfaction of knowing he's still a grade-A golfer.

Killmer, a former state champion at Bellingham High, birdied three of the final four holes and finished with a one-under-par 71 to win the 34th annual Bellingham Amateur on Monday, Sept. 1, at Lake Padden Golf Course.

It was the second Bellingham Amateur title in three years for Killmer, who finished with a three-round par-216 to win by four strokes over Seattle's Brian Phillips.

"This was the best I've ever seen the course look," said Killmer, who shot 34 on the back nine while representing Lake Padden in the 70-player event. "It was beautiful."

Now the 21-year-old golfer, who is majoring in business management at UW, must decide whether he wants to put in the time to play college golf again.

Killmer, who sported spiffy pink and gray socks at Lake Padden for luck, has two years of NCAA eligibility remaining after taking the past year off to focus on his studies.

"I didn't really feel like I had a plan for my life," said Killmer, whose 72.4 stroke average as a UW sophomore was No. 9 in school history. "So I took a year away from golf. I know how important a college diploma is. I got my grade-point average as a college junior up to 3.2, going from a C student to a B student.

"My coach (Matt Thurmond) was frustrated when I left the team, but he understood," said Killmer, who played No. 2 for the Huskies as a sophomore after transferring from Cal State Bakersfield.

Killmer, who was a three-time league MVP at Bellingham High, finished second, first and fifth at state in his last three high school seasons. He chose Bakersfield because his older brother, Ron Killmer, was a two-time All-American there and still lives in Bakersfield. But then came a development Killmer didn't expect after the played No. 2 as a freshman and helped his team finish third nationally.

"Bakersfield decided to move up to NCAA Division I, and that meant four years of probation, so I could never again play for a national championship, either team or individual," said Killmer, who won the Phil Mickelson Award as Division II Freshman of the Year.

"That would have meant essentially playing golf for nothing for three years," he said. "So I transferred to the UW. But I had always just gotten by as a student in high school and college, and I realized I needed to do better after my sophomore year."

Killmer, who shot 73, 72 and 71 at Lake Padden, began practicing again this summer, shortly before a U.S. Amateur Qualifying Tournament at Chambers Bay.

"That was my first tournament of the year, and I missed qualifying for the U.S. Amateur by two strokes," Killmer said. "The Bellingham Amateur was my second tournament back. Now I have a decision to make."

Matt Cowell, from Friday Harbor, who intends to try out for the Western Washington University golf team, finished third at 77-224.

"This was good preparation for my tryout in three weeks," said Cowell. "I'll be playing in a two-day tournament, trying to win the one open spot on Western's team as a walk-on."

Greg Morris, head pro at Lake Padden, called the field "the best we've ever had, in terms of handicap differential. We had about 30 guys with a 5 handicap or better."

"There have been some changes at Lake Padden. The city owns the property, but we run the course," said Morris of himself, director of golf Mel Fish and general manager Barry Kramer. "We want to make this course the best public course in the state."

It was a busy day for Morris, who even took time out to soothe his kindergarten-bound daughter, Daisy, after she was stung by a bee.

Now that Killmer seems to have been bitten by the golf bug again - all of his last three birdies came on par-4 holes - Morris said he feels better than ever about how much work he and his crew have done to improve conditions.