The women placed in the top-3, and the men had a solid top-4 finish.
It was another good week for both teams. Women’s golf competed at the Big Ten Championships in Maryland. Men’s golf traveled a few hours south to play in the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate.
Women’s Golf
After triumphing at the Silverado Showdown, Northwestern headed to Maryland to begin postseason play. The eighth-ranked ‘Cats were the highest ranked team in the Big Ten Championship by a wide margin with the 30th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes being second. Northwestern didn’t play its best golf throughout the three rounds but was able to finish in solo third.
NU had a solid opening 18 holes, shooting a 1-under 287. The team was in solo second, sitting eight shots back of Michigan State. Junior Lauryn Nguyen was the only Wildcat to shoot under-par in round one, and she was 5-under. Nguyen made seven birdies and was tied for the individual lead after day one. Sophomore Jiayi Wang had a great start as well, carding an even-par 72 with four birdies.
On day two, the ‘Cats took a step back with a 7-over 295. First-year Ashley Yun had the best day for NU with an even-par 72. Her round included six birdies, including three in a row to end her day. Nguyen and Wang both took steps back compared to round one, with both posting a score of 2-over 74. Northwestern was in solo fifth after two rounds but had a good chance to move up the leaderboard.
In the third round, NU played its best round of the tournament. They shot the lowest round of the day by any team, a 7-under 281. Unfortunately, the team was in too much of a hole to climb back to the top of the leaderboard. Yun continued her strong play and shot 4-under with four birdies. Meanwhile, Nguyen capped off a fabulous tournament, carding a 2-under 70.
For the individuals, Lauryn Nguyen led the team at 5-under. She began the tournament with her best round, a 67, birdieing two par-3s, three par-4s and two par-5s during the round. Nguyen took a step back on day two with a 2-over round, but she bounced back on the tournament’s final day. Nguyen made four birdies, including two in a row on holes 2 and 3, to end with a 2-under round. Her total score of 5-under resulted in a tie for fourth place.
Ashley Yun, Jiayi Wang and senior Jieni Li had great tournaments with all three placing in the top-25. After Yun began with a 3-over 75, she finished strong, shooting 7-under in her last 21 holes. She closed with a bogey-free round of 4-under and placed in a tie for 10th. Wang was consistent throughout the three days, signing for a 72, 74 and 72. In her third round, the sophomore made three birdies in a row, allowing her to finish at even-par for the day and tie for 20th. Li had a solid finish as well, posting a 71 on the final day. She made four birdies, including one on the difficult par-4 18th, and closed in a tie for 23rd.
Senior Jennifer Cai and sophomore Dianna Lee also competed in the tournament. On day three, Cai had her best 18 holes of the tournament, a 2-over 74 with two birdies. While it wasn’t her best week, Cai still managed to place in the top-50. Lee carded a 76 in the first and third rounds, finishing with five birdies combined in the two days, and finished tied for 55th .
The ‘Cats will be back in action from May 6-8 for the NCAA Regionals. The team didn’t play its best this week but still closed with its ninth-straight top-4 finish. They will hope to continue their form as postseason play rolls on.
Men’s Golf
Following a third-place finish at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, the ‘Cats headed to Urbana, Illinois for the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate. The 12-team tournament had a decent field, with 18th-ranked Illinois being the highest rated team. The ‘Cats finished in solo fourth and continued their solid play.
On day one, the weather was better suited for a football game than a golf tournament. The temperature was in the low 40s throughout which made conditions extremely tough. Considering the elements, Northwestern had a solid first round, shooting 13-over and snagging a tie for fourth after 18 holes. Graduate student James Imai led the team with two birdies and an even-par 71. In fact, Imai was the only Wildcat to make multiple birdies in round one. Junior Cameron Adam also had a great day, carding a 1-over 72.
In round two, the ‘Cats posted the best round of any team, a 5-over 289. Sophomore Daniel Svärd paced Northwestern with the team’s first under-par round of the week. He shot a 2-under 69 and made four birdies. Adam posted his second consecutive 72, and sophomore Ethan Tseng had a good round as well, carding a 73. NU moved up into solo second after the second round, only behind Illinois.
In the third round, NU shot a 13-over 297, and slipped a few spots down the leaderboard. Svärd once again had Northwestern’s best round of the day, an even-par 71. The next best round for the ‘Cats was a 4-over 75, shot by Imai and senior Chris Zhang. Despite the final day struggles, the team was still able to place in the top-4 for its third straight tournament.
Daniel Svärd led Northwestern at 3-over par and finished in a tie for fifth. The course played extremely tough throughout the three rounds and only one player out of the 69 participants closed under par. After a 4-over par first round, Svärd played terrific golf in his next 36 holes. Thanks to a 3-under front nine, he ended up shooting 2-under in round two with four birdies. The sophomore finished with an even-par 71, capping off a great round to end the regular season.
Cameron Adam and James Imai had exceptional tournaments as well. Adam shot 72 in rounds one and two and played consistent golf throughout. He was second in par-5 scoring average at 4.56 during the tournament. Imai began with his best 18 holes of the tournament. The graduate shot an even-par 71 with two birdies. Both Adam and Imai placed in the top-15. Adam closed in a tie for 12th at 7-over, and Imai finished in a tie for 15th at 8-over.
Ethan Tseng and Chris Zhang also had solid tournaments, both placing in the top-50. Tseng’s best 18 holes came in round two, a 2-over par round, highlighted by a birdie on the difficult 472-yard par-4 seventh. Zhang finished with his best day, a 4-over round. Tseng placed in a tie for 36th, and Zhang finished in 50th.
First-year Niall Shiels-Donegan, first-year Jeremy Chen and sophomore Akshay Anand competed in the individual section of the tournament as well. Shiels-Donegan played terrific golf in his middle round, shooting a 1-over 72 with two birdies. Chen shot a 6-over 77 with two birdies in round two, and Anand carded a 7-over with two birdies in round three. Shiels-Donegan tied for 22nd, Chen tied for 57th and Anand tied for 64th.
The ‘Cats will begin postseason play later this week at the Big Ten Championships. The tournament will be held from Apr. 26-28 in Columbus, Ohio. The team will look to continue its strong play this spring.