Northwestern played great as a team throughout the three rounds, securing a commanding victory, and Daniel Svärd clinched the individual trophy with a stellar performance.
After a fourth-place finish at the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate, the ‘Cats moved into postseason play in good form. The Big Ten Championship was the team’s next test. The 14-team tournament had a decent field with Illinois being the highest ranked team at 18th. The tournament was played at Scioto Country Club, the course where Jack Nicklaus grew up playing. Northwestern dominated throughout the three rounds to claim its ninth Big Ten title and first since 2006. The win also gave the Wildcats an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Championships.
Northwestern celebrates their 2024 @bigten Men’s Golf Championship!
@Old_National pic.twitter.com/zSrj8HH1QA
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) April 28, 2024
On day one, Northwestern played an exceptional round of golf, shooting even-par as a team. Sophomore Daniel Svärd and graduate student James Imai led the way, each carding rounds of 68. Svärd and Imai were evenly matched, as both made four birdies in the first round. Both players had fantastic front-nines, with Svärd shooting 4-under and Imai 3-under. Individually, the two players were in a tie for second after day one. As a team, Northwestern had a six-shot lead over Michigan State heading into round two.
In their second round, the ‘Cats had a tougher day, carding a 14-over score of 294. Junior Cameron Adam posted the best round for the team, a 1-over 71. Adam made three birdies and played consistent golf. The other four players for NU all shot either 4-over or 5-over. Still, since Northwestern got out to such a big lead, the team was still in first place after two rounds. Michigan State gained ground and was three shots back going into championship Sunday.
In round three, NU closed out the tournament emphatically. The team shot a 9-over round of 289. While they were over par for the day, 9-over was the best round by any team. Svärd had another exceptional round, a 2-under 68, carding four birdies. With that score, he was able to secure the individual title. As a team, the ‘Cats shot 23-over and won by 15 shots over second-place Illinois.
As mentioned earlier, Svärd had a terrific tournament and won his second consecutive Big Ten Individual Title. The sophomore began with a strong 2-under round. His round was highlighted by three straight birdies on holes 5-7, helping him to a tie for second after 18 holes. Svärd didn’t have his best stuff on day two, posting a 75. However, he was able to birdie the par-5 6th hole for the second consecutive day. Svärd closed his tournament with another tremendous round. He shot 2-under and made back-to-back birdies on day three. Cumulatively, Svärd shot 1-over and finished one shot in front of Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan. He also finished six shots better than Masters Low Amateur Neal Shipley. Svärd tallied his second straight top-5 finish and is entering the NCAA Regionals in great form.
James Imai and sophomore Ethan Tseng had great tournaments as well, with both players finishing in the top-8. Imai began with his best round of the week, a 68, by making four birdies, including two straight on holes 9 and 10. He shot rounds of 74 and 73 the next two days to close at 5-over. The graduate birdied the 210-yard par-3 4th all three days and finished in a tie for third. Tseng played consistently with rounds of 71, 74 and 74. In round one, he made two birdies and 13 pars. On day two, Tseng rolled in three birdies including back-to-back on holes 14 and 15. The birdie on 14 was especially impressive, as the par-3 is 255 yards. He finished with two birdies on day three and tied for eighth.
Cameron Adam and first-year Niall Shiels-Donegan also had successful tournaments, with the pair finishing in the top-20. Adam began with a round of 73, a round that included three birdies. He made back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12. Adam had his best 18 holes of the week on day two carding a 71. The junior birdied the first hole in two of his three rounds, setting the tone for a top-10 finish. Shiels-Donegan had a consistent three days of golf, posting rounds of 76, 75 and 74. He closed with a 3-over round, making one birdie and 12 pars. The first-year placed in a tie for 19th, meaning all five of Northwestern’s golfers finished in the top-20 for the first time this season.
NU will be back in action for the NCAA Regionals on May 13-15. The team will find out where they’re heading on Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT on the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship Selection Show, which will be broadcast on Golf Channel. The Wildcats are playing their best golf of the year at the right time, and they will hope to continue their strong play in the regionals.