Men's Golf | 10/3/2014 3:21:00 PM

The people of Chico have much to be proud of. Beautiful Bidwell Park, a delightful downtown, and a world-class University are among the most well known. The nation's 5^th-ranked Chico State men's golf program is among the community's many hidden jewels. Perhaps it's the golf claps and tendency to whisper around the course.
 
This Monday and Tuesday Chico has a rare opportunity to catch the 'Cats in action when they host the InterWest Insurance Wildcat Classic at Butte Creek Country Club. The action tees off each day at 8:30 a.m. The 15 teams and eight individuals will play two rounds Monday before the third and final round Tuesday.
 
Fans who can't make it out to the course can follow live scoring of the action on the chicowildcats.com homepage or the men's golf schedule page.
 
Chico State is coming off a second-place finish in its first event of the season last weekend at the Western New Mexico University Fall Intercollegiate. The Wildcats' Justin Wiles, the reigning California Collegiate Athletic Association Golfer of the Week, won a share of the individual title at 8-under par. Teammate Alistair Docherty finished 9^th and Lee Gearhart was 12^th. All three were All-Americans last season.
 
The Wildcats are back at Butte Creek Country Club for the first time since hosting there for four years in a row from 2007 through 2010. They had a lot of success during that stretch, winning once and never finishing lower than third in the team standings. Sylvester Gama won the 2009 event with a score of 3-under par.
 
Sonoma State, Cal State San Bernardino and Dixie State are among the Wildcats' biggest threats in the race of the team title. All three received votes in the latest Golf Coaches Association of America Division II Coaches Poll released Friday. Chico State is ranked No. 5. Sixth-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay will send three individuals to the tournament but will not be playing as a team.