Chico State Athletics

A few months ago Justin Wiles was a new face on an uber-talented Chico State men’s golf team, likely wondering how much he would get the chance to play this season. Now the Wildcats don’t know what they’d do without him.

Wiles finished sixth at the Sacramento State Intercollegiate Cup last Tuesday for his fourth top-20 finish in four tries this season. The sophomore transfer from Southwestern Oregon Community College came back from a first-round 74 with a 2-under par 70 Monday afternoon and a 1-under par 71 on Tuesday to finish 1-under par and just three shots out of the lead in a field full of Division I players.

The Wildcats and the University of British Columbia were the only non-Division I teams in the field. Still, Wiles and the Wildcats finished in second place. Wiles’ sixth-place finish was his second best. He finished tied for third in his first NCAA event - the Golfweek Division II preview – back on Oct. 1. He earned Wildcat of the Week honors that time as well.

Wiles also boasts a 16th-place finish at the InterWest Wildcat Classic and a 14th-place showing at the Coyote Classic, which opened the spring season a couple of weeks ago.

Wiles and the Wildcats stayed hot on Monday in the opening two rounds of the Notre Dame de Namur Argo Invitational. He holds a three-shot lead heading into the final round and the third-ranked Wildcats lead by 24 strokes. Wiles entered the week ranked 58th in the nation in stroke average, 25th in par-3 scoring and 47th in par-5 scoring.