Men’s golf: ‘Cats have tough final round, finish 11th at the Sahalee Players Championship

Northwestern put together a solid first two rounds but faltered during the final stretch in Washington.

Following a solid 2023-24 season that saw the ‘Cats win the Big Ten Championship, the team headed out to Sammamish, Washington to compete in the Sahalee Players Championship. The tournament featured a star-studded field, including five teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship Finals. The team began its season at one of the hardest courses in collegiate golf, Sahalee Country Club. The course, known for its demanding layout and tight fairways, recently hosted the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The ‘Cats got off to a slow start in round one, shooting 8-over-par as a team. Junior standouts Ethan Tseng and Daniel Svärd, along with sophomore Niall Shiels-Donegan and junior Akshay Anand, formed the core of Northwestern’s lineup. Aidan Kramer, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech, rounded out the team’s five, while first-year Mark Gazi competed as an individual. Shiels-Donegan led NU with a 1-under-par 71, and Anand also played well, shooting even-par. Northwestern was in sixth place after its first round and had to make up some ground to get within reach of the lead.

Northwestern rebounded strongly in the second round, posting an impressive team score with a 2-under-par 286. The ‘Cats had three players that shot under-par, a feat that is especially impressive on such a difficult golf course. Kramer and Svärd carded rounds of 1-under, and Anand continued his great play with a 3-under round, climbing to second place on the individual leaderboard. As a team, Northwestern moved up to fifth place, and while the team wasn’t in striking distance to win, it was in a good position to start the season strongly.

However, the team’s momentum came to a halt in the final round. Northwestern struggled to find its rhythm, finishing with a disappointing 16-over-par performance. No player managed to break par, and while Shiels-Donegan posted a respectable 1-over-par 73, it wasn’t enough to prevent the ‘Cats from slipping down the leaderboard to 11th place. It was a tough finish for NU, especially after being in position to make an early statement against elite competition.

Individually, Akshay Anand led the way with a cumulative score of 1-over-par through the three rounds. Anand rolled in two birdies in round one, including a birdie on the tough par-4 seventh hole. In his second round, Anand took his game to another level, making five birdies and shooting a 3-under 69. He had a terrific stretch from holes two through seven where Anand made four birdies. While he struggled in the final round, carding a 76, he began his season with a solid result, finishing tied for 13th.

Niall Shiels-Donegan and Daniel Svärd had solid tournaments, finishing in 23rd and 34th respectively. Over the three rounds, Shiels-Donegan shot 71, 75, and 73, making nine birdies along the way and excelling on the par-3s, where he ranked fourth in the field with a 2.92 average. Svärd also started out strongly as he was 2-under through his first nine holes. While he had a tougher end to the round, Svärd responded with three birdies and a score of 71 in round two. In his final round, Svärd carded a 4-over-par 76 to finish at 5-over for the tournament.

Aidan Kramer, Mark Gazi and Ethan Tseng also competed in the tournament. Kramer made eight birdies and the team’s lone eagle during the tournament. The Georgia Tech transfer played his best in round two where he shot a 1-under-par 71 highlighted by four birdies and an eagle on the long par-5 11th hole. Gazi began his Northwestern career with consistent rounds of 76, 77 and 78. In his first round, the Ireland native rolled in one birdie. He played his best on par-5s and was tied for 33rd in par-5 scoring average. Tseng was looking to build on a terrific sophomore season where he posted three top-5 finishes including a win at the Fighting Irish Classic. He didn’t have his best during the three rounds, making two birdies and finishing tied for 76th.

NU will look to regroup and build on the positives from Sahalee as the ‘Cats prepare for the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields from September 20-22. While the ‘Cats didn’t get off to the start they’d hoped, the team competed in a tough field and showed good signs.