A Battle for the Ages: The 2025 George Fox Invitational Recap

Wow. Just wow. The 2025 George Fox Invitational has officially come to a close, and I’m still trying to process what we just witnessed. If you were lucky enough to see the final stretch, you know exactly what I mean—this was golf at its finest, a display of sheer determination, precision, and absolute clutch performances.

Normally, I’d start by breaking down the team results, but let’s be honest—what unfolded in the individual championship was so spectacular, so mind-blowing, that it deserves to be front and center. It was a showdown that almost seemed scripted with a little heartbreak, a lot of competitiveness, ending in camaraderie. You couldn’t dream up a better ending if you tried.

An Unbelievable Individual Duel

From the opening tee shot in round 1 yesterday, two names dominated the leaderboard: Makensie Toole (your 2024 GF Westbrook Champion) and Alison Takamiya (2023 GF Westbrook Champion and 2024 DIII NCAA National Champion). These two players separated themselves from the field early, starting the final round at -3 and -2, respectively.

• Alison, playing one group ahead, made her first bogey on 12. Makensie? Par. (Makensie -4 and Alison -2)

• On 13, Alison settled for par, but Makensie drilled a birdie to extend her lead to three shots (-5 to -2).

• Alison struck back with a birdie on 14. Makensie answered immediately: another birdie (-6 to -3).

• The momentum started to swing a bit. Alison birdied 15, Makensie parred (-6 to -4).

• Then, Alison birdied 16. Makensie? Birdie (-7 to -5).

• Next, Alison birdied 17, with a wicked back-left pin location (which, I must shamelessly admit, I set myself). But Makensie? She wasn’t done. She responded with a birdie too (-8 to -6).

We were heading to the 18th hole with history on the line and just two shots separating the two great players.

Alison, capped off her round with another birdie on 18 posting a final round 66 (-5), including a ridiculous 31 on the back nine and five birdies to close her tournament, UNBELIEVABLE! Makensie, reached the green and had a tough first putt, then staring down the putt of the tournament, had one last chance for the outright win. A brutal 18th green made this putt extremely difficult. Her putt was excellent, but she narrowly missed the par attempt, closing with a 67 (-4) and securing a share of the championship with her teammate Alison!

I know there was some heartbreak there, but after such an epic back-and-forth with pressure applied and pressure answered, a co-championship felt like the only fair ending. Their final score of -7 (135) best the previous event record held by Kelsey Morrison (2012) and Sydney Maluenda (2015) by one shot—and trust me, the pin placements were anything but easy!

The Team Showdown: A Fight to the Finish

With all eyes on the individual duel, the team battle was just as gripping. Three powerhouse programs Division III programs — George Fox University (#6), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (#10), and Emory University (#1 in the country)—traded blows all day. At one point, each team held the lead.

George Fox was trailing by multiple shots at the start of the back nine. Then Makensie and Alison started their battle and birdie barrage. Their late-round heroics flipped the script completely. The Duo played the final six holes at a combined -8, surging ahead of the competition and aiding their team to victory!

When the final putt dropped, George Fox finished at Even Par as a team, edging out Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by two shots and Emory by seven. Not only did they win, but they obliterated the previous tournament record by 12 shots. Simply phenomenal. Great Playing George Fox!

Special Moments: Aces and Eagles!

Of course, no tournament recap would be complete without some jaw-dropping moments. Ella Chiu (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) aced the par-3 7th hole, earning one of the legendary Westbrook NCAA Ace Flags as a keepsake. And just moments after the ace, her teammate Jessie Kong holed out on #8 for an eagle. Two incredible shots, one unforgettable day.

Understanding NCAA Golf Scoring

• Player 1: 72
• Player 2: 74
• Player 3: 70
• Player 4: 75
• Player 5: 78 (dropped as the high score)
  Team Score for the Round: 72 + 74 + 70 + 75 = 291