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Throughout the week, we'll be providing updates on some of Northwestern's spring non-revenue (and non-lacrosse) sports. Yesterday, we looked at softball. Today, in honor of the Masters, it's golf time.
College golf teams are often extraordinarily low-key. After all, they don't play in tournaments on campus, and at cold weather schools like Northwestern, they often don't play their tournaments within 1,000 miles of school. This year, the men's golf team, for example, played tournaments in Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, and three in California. You get a free pass for not being completely up-to-speed about Northwestern golf. But that's why we're here.
First and foremost, let's clarify the format of college golf. Unlike nearly every other sport, college golf teams don't play dual matches. The entirety of their competition comes in multi-team tournaments, where 10 or so teams meet at a course and play a two-day tournament; 36 consecutive holes are played the first day and 18 holes the second day. Five players tee it up and the best four scores count toward the team total. There is both an individual and team champion of every tournament.
Men's Golf
The men's team is 65th best in the nation according to Golfweek, and their best tournament of the season was a 3rd-place finish at the Jones Invitational in Valencia, Calif. Freshman Dylan Wu of Medford, Ore. leads the team with a 72.15 scoring average, and is the only Northwestern golfer with an individual win on the season. That came at the Gifford Collegiate in San Martin, Calif. in early November when he shot a nine-under three-day total of 204. The next two lowest scoring averages are held by junior Scotsman Joshua Jameison and Bennett Lavin, a senior from Deerfield, Ill.
They're in action this week at the Kepler Intercollegiate, an event hosted by Ohio State at their Scarlet Course. Live scoring is available via BirdieFire.com. They will again play next weekend at The Boilermaker before readying for the Big Ten Championships, which will be played April 24-26 at Victoria National in Newburgh, Ind..
Women's Golf
The women's team is having an excellent season and is, according to Golfweek, the 11th best women's golf team in the country. They have two wins on the season, one in their first tournament of the year at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. and another at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla. The women's team is also led by a freshman, as Hannah Kim is ranked 35th in the country individually and leads the team in scoring with a 73.00 average and five rounds in the 60s.
They'll play next in the two-day Silverado Showdown which begins next Monday in Napa, Calif. Northwestern is the highest ranked women's golf team in the Big Ten and will be one of the favorites at the Big Ten Championships, which will be played April 24-26 in Indianapolis.