Men’s golf placed in solo third, and women’s golf finished in fourth.
While neither team claimed victory, both Northwestern golf squads had successful outings at their respective home tournaments, setting the stage for a trip to St. Andrews next month. The men’s team competed in Lake Forest, and the women played in Wilmette, with both teams securing top-four finishes.
Men’s Golf
After a disappointing 13th-place finish at the Fighting Illini Invitational, Northwestern hosted the Windon Memorial Classic at Conway Farms, rebounding with a third-place finish. Facing a competitive field that included No. 9 Illinois and No. 15 Arizona, the ‘Cats played consistent golf over the three rounds to earn their first top-5 finish of the season.
Conway Farms, one of Illinois’ most challenging courses, tested NU early. In round one, Northwestern shot 3-over as a team and was in solo third place. Senior Cameron Adam led the way for NU, shooting a 3-under 68, highlighted by six birdies. Junior Daniel Svärd also continued his great play to begin the season, posting a 2-under round.
Northwestern gained momentum in the second round, shooting 3-under as a team — its best round of the week. Adam built on his strong opening round with another 68, tallying five birdies and an eagle. Graduate transfer Aidan Kramer also played well, carding a 1-under 70. Heading into the final round, Northwestern stood in second place, just five shots behind Arizona with a chance to win the tournament.
However, Northwestern couldn’t close the gap on the final day, shooting 2-over as a team. Despite the team’s inability to capture the win, Shiels-Donegan led the charge with a 4-under 67. Northwestern finished in solo third, marking a strong performance at NU’s home tournament. Notably, the ‘Cats excelled on the par-5s, playing them at 14-under for the week — a testament to their aggressive approach on the longer holes. Only three holes were played under par the entire tournament, highlighting the difficulty of Conway Farms.
Individually, Cameron Adam led the way, shooting rounds of 68, 68, and 73 to finish at 4-under, placing him in solo fifth. Adam particularly thrived on the par-5s, averaging 4.33 strokes (third best in the field). He was also sharp on par-4s, averaging 4.00 (fifth best). He finished the tournament with 14 total birdies, the third-most of any player.
Niall Shiels-Donegan and Daniel Svärd also had great tournaments, with both finishing in the top-15. Shiels-Donegan had rounds of 74, 72 and 67, and Svärd had rounds of 69, 71 and 74. The sophomore closed with his best round of the week, rolling in five birdies. He played his best on par-3s during the tournament, leading the field with a 2.83 scoring average. Svärd did his damage on par-5s, averaging 4.44, good for seventh best. Both players will have a lot to build on after a great tournament.
Aidan Kramer and junior Ethan Tseng rounded out the Wildcats’ five-man lineup. Kramer’s best round came in the second 18 holes, where he shot 1-under, fueled by six birdies. Tseng wrapped up his tournament with a 1-over round, highlighted by three birdies, including one on the demanding 248-yard par-3 2nd hole. Both players finished in a tie for 64th overall.
Since Northwestern hosted the tournament, they also had four more of the team’s players compete individually. First-year Mark Gazi shot an even-par 71 in round one, finishing in a tie for 55th. Sophomore Jeremy Chen started his tournament off with a terrific 2-under round and finished in 64th. Junior Akshay Anand and sophomore Archie Finnie also participated, with their best rounds coming at 3-over. Anand placed 70th, while Finnie finished tied for 76th.
The ‘Cats will be back in action for the St. Andrews Links Collegiate hosted at the historic Old Course in Scotland. There, the team will compete against Arizona, Howard and the University of St. Andrews. The tournament takes place from Oct. 14-16 and will be televised on Golf Channel.
Women’s Golf
Coming off a third-place finish in their season opener, Northwestern hosted the Windy City Collegiate Classic at Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette. With eight of the top 15 teams in the nation competing, the ‘Cats faced a challenging field. After a slow start, NU had a terrific week to finish in solo fourth.
The tournament didn’t start as planned for Northwestern, as no player broke par in the first round. Sophomore Ashley Yun and junior Dianna Lee posted the team’s best rounds with scores of 2-over and 3-over, respectively. The Wildcats shot 16-over as a team and found themselves in 11th place after day one.
In the second round, Northwestern found its rhythm, shooting 1-under as a team. First-year Hsin Tai Lin led the charge with a near-flawless 5-under 67, while Yun and first-year Elise Lee posted 1-over rounds, combining for eight birdies. The strong second round vaulted the Wildcats into sixth place heading into the final day.
The final round proved challenging, with winds gusting up to 25 mph and sustained breezes at 18 mph. Despite the tough conditions, Tai Lin shot 1-over and Nguyen posted a 2-over 73. While NU didn’t have its best final round, the team was still able to move up into solo fourth.
Overall, the course was extremely difficult with Arizona State winning the event despite finishing 11-over as a team. Only three players managed to finish under par, and all 18 holes played over par for the week, a testament to the difficulty of the course and conditions. It’s rare to a test as tough as the one at Westmoreland.
Individually, Hsin Tai Lin led the way for Northwestern at 3-over par and tied for fifth place. The first-year had a tough start with a 7-over round, but she rebounded quickly with rounds of 5-under and 1-over to close the tournament. Tai Lin was impressive throughout, but she played her best on par-3s, averaging 2.78 on the holes. She competed extremely well on a tough course and will have a lot to build upon.
Dianna Lee and Ashley Yun also played well, with both finishing in the top 25. Yun’s best round came in the second round, where she shot 1-over. She recorded a solid par-4 scoring average of 4.17, ranking 18th in the field. Lee played consistently throughout the week, shooting rounds of 75, 74, and 76 while finishing with 10 birdies — good for eighth-best in the tournament.
Lauryn Nguyen and Elise Lee had solid weeks as well. Nguyen finished tied for 29th and closed with her best round of 2-over. She played her best on the par-5s, averaging 4.67 and shooting 3-under on the longer holes. Lee’s top round came in the second round, where she posted a 1-over 73, and the first-year closed in a tie for 43rd.
Sophomore Sarah Thornton, first-year Megan Meng and junior Jiayi Wang also competed in the tournament as individuals. Thornton had a consistent three days with her best round being 8-over, Meng’s best 18 holes were 6-over and Wang’s best was 5-over. The three players finished in ties for 71st, 74th and 76th respectively.
Looking ahead, the women’s team will join the men at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate, which runs from Oct. 14-16 and will be televised on Golf Channel. Both teams will aim to build on their solid starts to the season on one of the sport’s most iconic courses.