The Northwestern men’s golf team left The Tillinghast on Tuesday afternoon unaware of how they placed in the tournament. Having to catch a plane home, the team left Scarsdale, N.Y., with half of the field still on the course.
However, the Wildcats did not seem concerned with their final position — they were too disappointed in their play. Not until Wednesday morning did the players learn that their two-round team total of 590 earned them a respectable fourth-place tie in the 24-team field.
“We had no idea how we did until we got home,” sophomore Tom Johnson said. “No matter where we finished, we knew we underachieved in this tournament.”
Despite being disappointed with the team’s performance, Johnson excelled on his own, finishing tied for third with a score of 141. He rebounded from a first-round 73 to shoot a 2-under-par 68 in the final round.
Johnson saved his best for last. His 150-yard approach on the 18th hole came to a stop within a foot of the cup, leading to a tap-in birdie.
“Tom played very well throughout the tournament,” NU head coach Pat Goss said. “He is a solid ball-striker, and it does not surprise me he played so well on this course.”
The course, Quaker Ridge Country Club, hosted the 1997 Walker Cup and provided a challenge for all the teams involved. Its narrow fairways and huge trees made hitting the fairway a premium.
In addition, the course’s firm, undulating greens punished players who failed to keep the ball below the hole.
“This was a great course. The key was driving the ball straight and staying out of trouble,” sophomore T.C. Ford said. “In this tournament, driving is what separated the men from the boys.”
Ford, who shot a 13-over 153, tied with teammates Scott Harrington and Bjorn Widerstedt for 47th place. Ford persevered through erratic driving and greenside mistakes to avoid a disastrous round.
“I was very impressed with T.C. — he really hung in there even though he was not having his best day, ” Goss said. “Scott and Bjorn remain the key to our success as they continue to work very hard — but (they) seem a little off their game.”
Much like his teammates, senior Chris Thayer also appeared slightly off his game during the tournament. An impressive opening-round 70 put Thayer in a three-way tie for fourth place. But several unfortunate breaks in the second round resulted in a 5-over 75, dropping him into a tie for 11th place.
Aside from the individual struggles, the Cats’ fourth-place finish was especially frustrating because two Big Ten rivals finished ahead of them. Tournament champion Illinois finished 13 shots ahead of NU with a 577, while Minnesota placed second with a 20-over 580.
Texas-Arlington’s second round 291, the low score on Tuesday, propelled them one shot past the Cats in the final standings.
“We expect to be the best team in the Big Ten, and this tournament showed otherwise,” Widerstedt said. “If we play well, we should win tournaments like this one.”
NU has one more tournament in the fall season. Next weekend they head to The Prestige in Palm Desert, Calif. The team hopes to use that tournament to sharpen its play and regain the form that has led to four straight Big Ten titles.
“Fourth place sounds good, but it is really irrelevant,” Goss said. “I’m not that concerned. We are not playing up to our potential, and this is not the level we expect to play at.”
