The women’s team secured a runner-up finish while the men placed third, highlighted by individual championships from Dianna Lee and Daniel Svärd.
After a brief break, both Wildcat golf teams returned refreshed and ready for the final stretch of their seasons. Competing in highly competitive fields, both squads delivered strong performances, each securing a top-three finish.
Women’s Golf
Following a sixth-place finish at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, the ‘Cats headed west to Phoenix for the PING/ASU Invitational—a tournament where they’ve had plenty of success, having won it in back-to-back years. This year’s 13-team field was strong, featuring four programs ranked in the national top-25.
While No. 12 Northwestern didn’t secure a third straight victory, the team still put together an impressive performance, finishing runner-up behind No. 9 Arizona State. The highlight of the weekend came from Dianna Lee, who captured her first career win—a major milestone in her collegiate career.
The ‘Cats came out strong in the opening round, shooting 7-under on the front nine and finishing the day at 9-under overall. Four players posted under-par rounds, with Elise Lee and Ashley Yun leading the way at 3-under, each carding four birdies. Despite trailing host ASU by six strokes, it was an impressive start for the ‘Cats.
In round two, conditions toughened, but Northwestern rose to the challenge. Only two teams managed to shoot under par — ASU and NU — solidifying a two-horse race heading into the final day. Northwestern posted a 4-under team score but still trailed ASU by 15 shots. Dianna Lee led the charge with a bogey-free 4-under performance, while Elise Lee stayed consistent with her second consecutive under-par round at 2-under.
The final round was Northwestern’s best of the week. The ‘Cats caught fire, firing a collective 10-under to close the tournament. Dianna Lee once again led the way, carding another 4-under round to secure her first collegiate individual title, finishing at 10-under overall. In total, five Wildcats shot under par on the day, and five finished inside the top-12 of the 78-player field—an impressive display of depth and consistency. However, Arizona State posted a solid 8-under round of its own to close out the tournament win in Phoenix.
Although the team came up short of a third straight tournament title, their second-place finish in a competitive field was a strong statement as the season winds down.
The PING/ASU Invitational proved to be a challenging test. The course played to a 74.13 scoring average across the three rounds, with the second round playing the toughest at 74.67 on the par-72 layout. Only three holes played under par for the week. While not the most difficult course the ‘Cats have faced this season, it still demanded precision and composure. Northwestern excelled in key areas, leading the field in par-4 scoring (3.95) and par-5 scoring (4.6)—a testament to their ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Dianna Lee captured the individual title with a standout performance. She was particularly strong on the par-4s, leading the field by shooting 4-under on those holes. Ashley Yun and Elise Lee also delivered impressive tournaments, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Yun tallied 12 birdies across the three rounds — seventh-most in the field — as she continues an outstanding sophomore season. Elise Lee, meanwhile, had one of the best tournaments of her young career, excelling on par-5s with a scoring average of 4.58.
Lauryn Nguyen, Hsin-Tai Lin and Megan Meng also contributed to the team’s success. Nguyen and Lin both tied for 12th place, each capping their tournament with strong final rounds of 2-under. Meng closed with a 3-under round of her own, finishing in a tie for 27th.
Next up, three Wildcats will compete in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur starting Apr. 2: Lauryn Nguyen, Elise Lee and 2025 commit Arianna Lau.
The full squad will return to action at the Silverado Showdown from Apr. 7–9, where they’ll look to defend their title for the third consecutive year and continue their strong form heading into the final stretch of the season.
Men’s Golf
After finishing 10th at The Hayt, Northwestern traveled to Stanford, California, aiming for a stronger showing at The Goodwin — one of the largest and most competitive tournaments of the season. The event featured 30 teams, 164 players and 13 programs ranked in the top-50 nationally. The team rose to the challenge, finishing in solo third at 1-under, trailing only Colorado and UCLA. Leading the charge was Daniel Svärd, who earned co-champion honors in the individual competition.
In round one, the ‘Cats posted a 2-over team score. Svärd paced the group with a 3-under round, while Cameron Adam added a 1-under performance. The team sat in a tie for 10th and needed a strong push to climb the leaderboard.
They delivered in round two, firing their best team score of the week at 4-under. Niall Shiels-Donegan led the way with a 3-under round, highlighted by five birdies, and Ethan Tseng added a 2-under effort. Their play vaulted Northwestern into fourth place heading into the final round, firmly in contention.
On the final day, the ‘Cats posted a 1-over round to secure third place outright. Tseng continued his strong play with a 3-under round, while Svärd closed with a steady 2-under, including a clutch birdie on 17 and a near-miss on 18 that would have given him the solo title. His performance earned him a share of the individual championship.
Overall, it was a highly encouraging result for Northwestern—competing in one of the deepest fields of the year and coming away with both a podium team finish and an individual title.
The course at The Goodwin proved to be a formidable test, playing over three shots above par with a tournament scoring average of 73.06. The second round was the toughest of the week, with the field averaging 73.58. Only three holes played under par—all three of them par-5s—while the par-4 sixth was the most difficult, yielding an average score of 4.47. Despite the challenge, the ‘Cats excelled on par-4s, ranking third in the field with a team average of 4.17.
Individually, Daniel Svärd led the way for Northwestern, capturing a share of the individual title at 5-under with rounds of 67, 70 and 68. The junior was especially strong on par-4s, recording the sixth-best scoring average on those holes in the entire field. His consistent play across all three rounds was highlighted by making just seven bogeys throughout the tournament.
Ethan Tseng, Niall Shiels-Donegan and Cameron Adam also turned in strong performances. Tseng closed with rounds of 2-under and 3-under to finish in a tie for 21st. Shiels-Donegan made 11 birdies and an eagle over the week, placing 26th overall. Adam’s best round came on day one with a 1-under 69; he went on to finish in 49th.
Archie Finnie and Jeremy Chen rounded out Northwestern’s lineup. Finnie’s best round came on day two with a 1-over 71, leading to a T-93 finish. Chen opened with a 72 in round one and finished in 137th.
The Wildcats will return to action April 14–15 at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial in Virginia—their final regular-season event before the Big Ten Championships. They’ll look to carry their momentum into the postseason.