In 48 hours, a season of hard work disappeared for Northwestern.
After 36 holes, the Wildcats found themselves in second place at the Big Ten championships, needing to place third or higher in order to have a chance at the NCAA tournament.
If the tournament had ended right there, NU would have been anxiously waiting to see if they made the postseason field.
But over the final two days of the tournament, the Cats postseason hopes faded, as they finished sixth in the field of 11 teams.
“I’m incredibly disappointed, particularly after the way we started,” coach Pat Goss said.
The Cats reversed their recent trend of starting slow and finishing hot. But they were most plagued by a lack of consistency.
Sophomore David Lipsky, who finished tied with fellow sophomore Jonathan Bowers for 13th place overall, shot his way out of title contention with a 9-over 81 in the third round.
The team’s seniors, Dan Doyle and Kyle Moore, struggled as well. Their disappointment over missing the postseason was compounded after playing their last round of collegiate golf Sunday.
“The team as a whole probably feels somewhat similar to how Kyle and I feel about it,” Doyle said.
While Moore and Doyle have experienced their fair share of success during their four years at NU, missing the postseason is not uncharted territory for them. During their freshman season of 2004-05, the Cats were not selected for the NCAA championships. But Doyle said this time around the situation is a little different.
The NCAA implemented a new rule this year, stating that a team’s record must be above .500 to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The rule excludes conference champions, who are guaranteed a bid.
This year, the number of teams for the tournament committee to sift through is narrowed significantly to include only those with winning records.
With an overall record under .500, the Cats know they will be left out of the tournament.
“They haven’t announced the field for the NCAA tournament, but we obviously know that we’re not a part of that,” Doyle said.
With the season over, NU will move on to its offseason training program. Although he still feels the sting of this weekend’s loss, Goss said the future is bright.
“I feel good about the future of the program,” Goss said. “But right now, I’m so overwhelmingly disappointed with the way we competed those last two rounds.”
For the first time in three years, that future will not include Doyle and Moore. The pair of graduating seniors have their own futures to embark on, as both plan to join the professional golf circuit.
Doyle said that would not have been possible without their time at NU under Goss’ tutelage.
“I owe him a big thanks for sure,” Doyle said. “It’s not like our relationship’s over whatsoever just because my senior season is up and my eligibility is up. I’m sure he’ll be somebody that can help me throughout my career.”
