For the second straight year, the Wildcats will get a chance to play for the big trophy.
California, here they come.
After a long season that saw Northwestern finish in the top four in nine of its previous 10 meets, the ‘Cats will get a chance to make one more podium push. Northwestern’s fourth-place finish in the NCAA East Lansing Regional was good enough to earn a berth in the NCAA Championships, which take place from May 17-22 in Carlsbad, California. This is the 10th time in program history that the Wildcats will play in the postseason and the ninth since 2013.
Northwestern got off to a sterling start in the first round. As the second seed in the East Lansing Regional, a lot was expected of the Wildcats, and they delivered. Four out of five Northwestern golfers shot even par or better in the opening round on May 6. Lauryn Nguyen paved the way with a two-under 70, which was matched by Jennifer Cai. Both Jiayi Wang and Jieni Li provided an extra spark to the fantastic day with rounds of even-par 72.
By the time the dust settled, Northwestern was comfortably in third place. While USC was two strokes ahead of the field thanks to a brilliant seven-under 65 from Bailey Shoemaker, the Wildcats were hot on their heels. To make the situation even better, second-place Pepperdine had a pair of players shoot over par, suggesting that they could be surpassed by Northwestern over the course of the tournament. Despite a rough back nine — the ‘Cats were two-over as a team after the turn — NU could be satisfied with a third-place slot after Round One. And considering the team was only one stroke back of Pepperdine, there was going to be plenty of opportunity to move up.
And the Wildcats took full advantage of that opportunity. As the golfers hacked their way through Forest Akers West Golf Course on a rough day for every team, Northwestern’s golfers kept an even keel. Only one team (Michigan State, four-under 284) shot under par for Round Two, but that worked out well for the Wildcats. Northwestern’s even-par score of 288 was tied for second-best of the day and secured the ‘Cats a second-place slot after two rounds.
The round wasn’t enough to completely close the gap to USC — the Trojans were still up two strokes through 36 holes — but it was enough to gain two strokes on Pepperdine to secure a one-stroke advantage. Cai erupted for her second consecutive two-under day, placing her in a tie for third. Nguyen, meanwhile, shot “just” a one-under 71, good enough to secure a tie for fifth through two rounds. The one sign of danger was that once again, Northwestern as a team shot two-over on the back nine. The Wildcats would need to put together an end-to-end performance in Round Three if they wanted to secure a victory.
Unfortunately, day three was the worst day of the tournament for Northwestern. The ‘Cats struggled on the front nine this time, dropping from second all the way to fifth before the turn. Unlike the day before, where only one team had a good day, Round Three saw teams fly up and down the course. Oklahoma State led the way with a nine-under 279 that saw the Cowboys climb from a tie for sixth to second overall. USC wasn’t too shabby either, with a three-under 285 securing the overall victory for the Trojans. Michigan State also shot a three-under 285 to slide past Northwestern for third place.
Luckily for the Wildcats, their tournament-long battle with Pepperdine was a victorious struggle. While Northwestern shot one-over par on the final day, Pepperdine was two-over — enough to give the Wildcats a two-stroke advantage for the tournament. Northwestern also finished just one stroke behind Michigan State and two strokes behind Oklahoma State.
But while the Wildcats as a team had a near-miss, several individual performances are worthy of recognition. Nguyen closed the tournament with her second round of two-under 70, finishing in fifth overall thanks to a sparkling five-under tournament. Wang, consistent all tournament, was one-over overall, but that was still good enough for 15th place in the individual ranks. Cai struggled massively on the final day with a six-over 78, but her first two rounds were so good that she still finished tied for 16th overall. And while Ashley Yun only had one round below a 74 on the tournament, her one-under 71 on the final day was vital in securing the berth in the NCAA championships.
And so the season will continue for Northwestern. The Wildcats will have a great opportunity to make another podium charge a little over a week from now at the NCAA Championships. The tournament will be held at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.