Central Catholic boys golf posts best state finish since 1958

Published 10:11 pm Tuesday, May 20, 2025

By Austin White

A little bit of history was made on the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn on Tuesday, May 20 at the 6A state high school boys golf tournament.

Central Catholic had a season-best day, breaking 300 as a team at a 10-over 298 to help secure a third place finish, the Rams’ highest finish at state on the boys side since winning the state title in 1958.

The Rams were in seventh following the first round after shooting a 30-over 318 as a squad, 11 shots back of Lake Oswego in first and only four back of Westview in fourth and the final trophy spot. Central Catholic fired back with the 298 on round two to climb into third and take home bronze.

Leading the way was the golfer who led the Mt. Hood Conference champion Rams all year in senior Michael Baldwin, finishing with a two-day score of 5-over 149 to end up in a tie for 10th individually and head home with a medal. He shot 5-over 77 in round one and fired an even-par 72 on Tuesday.

“(Round one), I didn’t have it, but finished well with two birdies down the stretch which was nice to get some momentum going into (round two),” Baldwin said. “Then today, putts didn’t drop but I just stayed in it and stayed consistent and patient. And I came out with a solid round and a nice finish, and a really good finish for the team.”

Staying consistent was key for the whole team as the field had to battle some tough early elements in round one with heavy rain.

The rain subsided later in the day and round two on Tuesday was mostly clear, allowing the patience of the Rams to poke through as they enjoyed their walk around the course.

Baldwin was the best finisher, but he was followed close behind by senior Dylan Crowell in 17th with a 6-over 150 and then sophomore Blake Kappes in 18th with a 7-over 151.

The fourth Ram in was senior Lucas DePalma, carding a 22-over 166 to finish in a tie for 57th.

Senior Finn Briscoe and freshman Milo Moskowitz split the fifth spot over the two days with Briscoe posting a 15-over 87 in round one and Moskowitz finishing with a 9-over 81 in round two.

“Really just fun,” Baldwin said of how he’d describe the tournament. “We really stuck together as a team. We had a really good conversation (Monday night) about playing for each other, which I think we did today. We shot our season-best and I think the best we’ve shot in my four years by five or six strokes.”

Put it all together and it was a record day for the Rams program with the bronze trophy at 40-over 616, only falling short to Lake Oswego in first at 33-over 609 and Westview in second at 36-over 612.

While hanging a banner would have been nice, Baldwin – who is golfing at Willamette University next year – is happy to see the program trending upwards as he takes the steps in his golf journey.

“With our new coach, we really just came together and are much more of a professional team and program and we practice the right way,” Baldwin said. “We also just create experiences that are so fun. We stayed at a house (for the tournament), which is an absolute blast. Just really good memories.”

Also representing the Mt. Hood Conference was David Douglas senior Micah Chadwick who qualified via his fifth place finish in league play.

Chadwick fired off an 8-over 80 and came back a stroke better for round two with a 7-over 79. That placed him in a tie for 40th with a 15-over 159 final score.

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