February is a time for golf
The Wildcats traveled to Rio Grande, Puerto Rico over the weekend to compete in the Purdue Puerto Rico Classic. The No. 9 ranked Northwestern women’s golf team opened its spring season with a solid result, finishing fourth in the competition.
The Wildcat lineup featured Ashley Yun, Lauryn Nguyen, Elise Lee, Hsin Tai Lin, Megan Meng and Dianna Lee. Yun and Nguyen were spectacular for the Wildcats, finishing in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
The Northwestern side scored a grand total of 861 over the 54-hole tournament, finishing its round on Tuesday with a score of 288. Securing the team title for the Arkansas Razorbacks was Maria Jose Marin who shot nine under par over the weekend, tallying a score of 207.
Yun saved her best for last, turning in a score of 69 for the Wildcats. Yun jumped off to a great start in her last match, dropping home three birdies on the front nine. On her first two days of play, she shot a 72 and 70, rounding her total to 211 – good for five under par.
Nyugen, however, struggled to close out her play after a stellar start to the competition. The Seattle product shot a 74 to close out her weekend after two consecutive 69s. Luckily for this Wildcat, the Northwestern women’s golf team is back to action shortly, playing in under two weeks, from February 16-18. Nyugen and the Wildcats hope to stand atop the podium next time around.
Now, for the men’s side – they competed against the Michigan State Spartans in what was called the Ganter Cup in Lake Wales, Florida on Saturday. The Northwestern lineup featured Akshay Anand, Aidan Kramer, Ethan Tseng, Niall Shiels Donegan, Daniel Svard, Jeremy Chen, Cameron Adam and Mark Gazi.
Anand, Kramer, Tseng and Shiels Donegan were able to come away with wins against the Spartan side, winning their matchups in the foursomes portion of the event.
The Wildcats continued their success during four-ball play, or what is also known as best ball. In the “Best Ball” format of golf, players get to choose which ball to count, better positioning themselves on the scoreboard.
Anand, Kramer, Svard, Chen, Adam and Gazi came away with huge victories in best ball play to give Northwestern the right to own the Ganter Cup.
The Wildcats beat the Spartans 5-3 and are hoping to build on their win at The Prestige at PGA West from February 17-19. Overall, a fantastic weekend for the Wildcats on the links.