Bulldogs golf ready to take a bite out of districts at Quail Ridge
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, May 6th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — The Baker boys golf team says they’re ready to take care of business on their home turf in hopes of repeating as state champs.
Baker, the defending 4A champions, is hosting the Greater Oregon league district tournament May 6-7 at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Baker City. The Bulldogs will go against Pendleton, La Grande and Ontario for a chance to advance to the OSAA State Golf Tournament later this month near Eugene.
The Bulldogs have had another dominating season, winning multiple tournaments ahead of districts and beating opponents by 40 or 50 strokes. The team is led by its core of players who claimed last year’s title; Isaiah Jones, Eli Long, Jaxon Logsdon, Kaden Conklin, Palmer Chandler and Grant Gambleton. Most of these athletes are still fresh off of winning the state title in basketball.
“I think we’re peaking at the right time and we’re winning, which is great but our guys need to maintain their focus,” said Head Coach Mike Long. “Like any sport, you have your good days and bad days, and bad days in golf can be especially frustrating. But I think our guys are in a good head space and they know we need to take care of business.”
This is the first time the Greater Oregon League Districts will be held in Baker in more than a decade, Long says. He says the community support to help make districts a success has been great and more than 20 residents have reached out to help volunteer Monday and Tuesday.
“Baker does such a good job with the 1A basketball tournament and a lot of people told me that they want to help,” said Long. “I am constantly impressed by how well our community puts on events and takes care of adults, kids and visitors.”
