Before we get into the action on the course, it’s worth taking a moment to recognize someone who helped make this event possible in the first place.

Nearly 20 years ago, “Big” Al McCloskey helped bring this tournament to Westbrook, planting the seed for what has become one of the highlights of our collegiate golf calendar. Al passed away earlier this year, and while he wasn’t here to see it, this weekend’s event served as a wonderful reminder of the impact he had on this club and the game.

Those who knew Al know he represented the very best of what makes Westbrook special — kindness, compassion, and understanding. He had a way of making people feel welcome and valued, whether they were members, guests, staff, or student-athletes visiting for the first time.

Seeing another great collegiate event unfold at Westbrook this weekend felt like a fitting continuation of the tradition that Al helped start nearly two decades ago.

Now let’s talk about the individual competition, because that was a story all its own.

You might have noticed we didn’t spend much time talking about CMS in the team portion earlier. The truth is simple: when every player on your team finishes in the top 10, you tend to win comfortably. CMS didn’t just win the team title—they dominated the individual leaderboard as well, finishing with all five players in the top 10, including three in the top two and four in the top five. No matter what tournament you’re playing in, if your team performs like that individually, the trophy is almost certainly coming home with you.

Still, the individual race itself was a roller coaster.

We saw six different names at the top of the leaderboard throughout the day, and not all of them were from CMS.

The day began with Alisa Ching (CMS) holding the overnight lead after her spectacular opening round of 3-under 68, which included that unforgettable hole-out eagle on her second shot of the tournament on Hole #1. But the game of golf has a funny way of humbling us all. Ching opened her second round with three straight bogeys, quickly dropping from the lead.

That opened the door for Jessica Mason of Trinity, who had already earned the nickname “the birdie machine.” Mason lived up to the billing, making four birdies through her first 11 holes and grabbing a one-shot lead over a tightly packed group that included Ella Chiu (CMS), Esther Lee (CMS), Jessie Kong (CMS), and Samantha Shaw (UC Santa Cruz).

Meanwhile, Ella Chiu (CMS) was quietly putting together one of the most impressive rounds of the day. After shooting 76 in Round 1, Chiu caught absolute fire on the front nine, making five birdies for a blistering 31. She briefly grabbed a share of the lead before finishing with a couple of bogeys on the back nine—but still posted the low round of the tournament with a 68.

Then Esther Lee (CMS) stepped forward.

Lee birdied Hole 13 to take the outright lead. A bogey at 14 briefly knocked her back, but she immediately responded with a birdie at 15 to reclaim the top spot. It looked like the tournament might be hers.

But then came Hole 17.

The Lakes Course has a way of reminding players that golf is never over until the final putt drops. A triple bogey on 17 suddenly dropped Lee out of the lead and reopened the door.

And quietly—almost unnoticed for much of the round—Jessie Kong (CMS) had been positioning herself perfectly.

Her front nine was steady but unspectacular: a bogey on 3, birdies on 4 and 5, another bogey on 7, and a double on 9. But then came the back nine.

While others began to stumble, Kong stayed steady. She birdied the difficult 10th hole, added another at 14, and calmly parred every other hole coming in. Her 33 on the back nine was the best in the field, giving her a round of 71 to match her opening 71.

That consistency proved to be the winning formula.

With a two-round total of even par, Jessie Kong became the 2026 Individual Champion. It was fantastic golf and truly fun to watch unfold down the stretch.

We had one more highlight worth mentioning as well. Nikki Bowen of Arizona Christian added another eagle on Hole #4, giving Arizona Christian two eagles for the event—matching CMS with two of their own. Not that we officially keep an eagle trophy… but we certainly enjoy pretending we do.

And speaking of highlights, Jessica Mason truly lived up to her birdie machine reputation. She finished the event with nine total birdies, including five in Round 1 and four more in Round 2.

We also saw a great bounce-back performance from Katelyn Lam of host school George Fox University. After opening with an 80, Lam turned things around beautifully with a 71 in the final round, climbing into the top 20.

With that, our final NCAA event of the year is officially complete and once again it was an incredible success. The players, coaches, and spectators consistently tell us how much they enjoy competing at Westbrook, and how welcoming our community is.

Thank you to our members, staff, and volunteers for once again showing these teams and their fans what true Westbrook hospitality looks like.

We’re already looking forward to the next one.

Golf Cart Viewing Policy for the Event

To ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone:

Team Scoring
Each team consists of five players, but only the best four scores count towards the team total for each round (the worst score is dropped).

Example Team Round Score:

Individual Scoring
Each player competes for their own individual score, including any extra players teams bring just for the individual competition. The player with the lowest score over 36 holes is crowned the individual champion.