Parkland College emerged as the M-WAC Golf Champion on Saturday in the first year of the new "Ryder Cup" Format.  The tournament was held at Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River and featured each school, with three teams of two, in three different nine hole formats.   The Cobras won the championship with a 27-hole total of 195, edging Illinois Central by 3 strokes, and host Lewis and Clark by 5.

The first nine holes were a scramble with each member of the twosome teeing off and each player hitting from the best shot.  The second nine were a modified alternative shot with both players teeing off, but then the players alternating until the hole was completed. The final nine holes were played "best ball" style with the best score from the group counting each hole.  Parkland's groups were Group A:  Dom Knight and Josh Lamb, Group B:  Christian Khachaturian and David Gerig, and Group C:  Chris Tate and Thomas Webster.   

Lewis and Clark grabbed the early 9-hole lead as tehy shot a 62 to grab a two stroke lead over PC and three over ICC.  Webster-Tate led PC with 31 while the  other two groups both shot 33.  Parkland would take control of the tournament over the next nine holes as they fired a 66 to grab the 18 hole lead by a stroke over the host Blazers. The duo's of Lamb and Knight and Webster and Tate both shot 33's to lead the way to the 66.  The final 18 holes was a battle with ICC grabbing the lead after two of the three groups scores were recorded behind their second group posting a 31.  The Cobras would not be denied however as Knight and Lamb put up a 31 of their own outscoring the pair they were matched up against by four strokes to secure the victory.

On the afternoon, Dom Knight and Josh Lamb had the best composite score (33-31-31  97) followed by an outstanding showing by Thomas Webster and Chris Tate who fired (98 31-33-34).  The final scores and places are listed below. Parkland will return to action next Saturday and Sunday when they travel to the Millikin Invitational in Decatur.

Final Team Scores:

Parkland   195       64-66-65
ICC             198       65-68-65  
L&C            200       62-69-69
Lincoln      218       68-78-72

Parkland Totals:

Knight-Lamb           97  (33-33-31
Tate-Webster        98  (31-33-34)
Gerig and Khachaturian 103 (33-35-35)

All scores:

Knight-Lamb (PC)                                   97
Tate-Webster (PC)                                 98
Hopper-Perry (ICC)                                99
Brue-Rebbe (ICC)                                   101
Simpson-Moore (L&C)                          101
Gibben-Perez (L&C)                               102
Gerig-Khachaturian (PC)                       103
Duncan-Burk (L&C)                                103
McCafferty-Plummer (ICC)                   104
Betts-Leach (Linc)                                   109
Greening-Curry (Linc)                            109
Matthews-Jackson (Linc)                      118