ARDMORE, Pa.–Somewhere on the fairways and greens of Merion Golf Club’s East Course, Northwestern men’s golf became more than just an afterthought.
In August, NU senior Dillon Dougherty pitched and putted his way to a runner-up finish at the 105th U.S. Amateur, earning himself an invitation to the 2006 Masters and U.S. Open.
This added a series of exclamation points to an already successful summer for NU–a program looking to recapture its NCAA-championship caliber days.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t play very well in our college season,” said Dougherty, who lost to Edoardo Molinari of Italy, 4 and 3, in the 36-hole final after finishing no better than 29th last spring. “But I was working on a lot of stuff, and my game was getting better.”
Dougherty joined sophomore Kyle Moore and junior Chris Wilson as Wildcats with stellar summers. Moore won the Eastern Amateur with a tournament-record 267. Wilson won the Ohio Amateur, took runner-up honors at the Western Amateur and also qualified for the U.S. Amateur.
Dougherty was 18 holes away from joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as winners of the coveted Havemeyer Trophy.
Up three holes after the final match’s first round, Dougherty only could watch as Molinari, who was tied for fifth after 33 holes at this year’s British Open, conquered the treacherous Merion. Molinari made seven birdies and no bogeys on a course that allowed no scores better than 1-under 69 during stroke-play rounds.
“He just played unbelievably,” said Dougherty, who shot even-par through his 15 second-round holes. “(I was) a little bit frustrated because he didn’t really give me many opportunities. I kept hoping for an opportunity, for him to just make par when I had a good (look) at birdie, and he would make (birdie).”
Despite the loss, anyone who saw Dougherty at the Amateur–his courageous performance a month after his grandfather Bill died, his match-tying chip-in for birdie on 17 and his match-winning pitch to a foot on 18 in the semifinal, his steady, smart play on the merciless Merion–would find it hard to deny Dougherty is a player to watch.
Wilson, Moore and other five returning NU golfers must be watched as well, even if the Cats are No. 18 in the “Golf Digest” rankings and unranked in other polls.
Wilson said being snubbed in polls gives the Cats motivation.
“We sort of feel we have something to prove,” he said, “(even though) we felt like we proved it in the summer.”
Wilson and NU coach Pat Goss said despite missing the NCAA regional championships for the second straight year last spring, the Cats’ summer accomplishments already earned them some attention within the golf world. At the practice round of NU’s season-opening tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., Wilson said some players congratulated him and Dougherty for their performances.
These accomplishments could lead to a season that ends with a national ranking and a Big Ten championship, Goss said.
“I’m looking forward to going back with my teammates,” Dougherty said, “and just having our team show up to events and have other players say: well, Northwestern has got U.S. (Amateur) and Western (Amateur) finalists. These guys are good.”
Reach Patrick Dorsey at [email protected]
