After a strong spring resurgence that included top-half finishes in each of its five events and a first place finish at the Big Ten Match Play Championship, Northwestern’s season reaches a climax this weekend as it heads to Minnesota to compete in the Big Ten Championships. The Wildcats are looking to capture their first conference crown since 2006.
“I definitely think we’re good enough to win,” sophomore Eric Chun said. “We’ve been working hard all year long, and our game is where it needs to be to contend.”
Chun figures to be a strong contender himself, as he heads to the tournament looking to defend his title as individual Big Ten champion. He caught the conference field off-guard last year, winning the tournament as a freshman.
“My swing just worked amazingly for me last year,” Chun said. “But that won’t affect my game at all. It’s a new year and a new tournament.”
It will also be a new course. NU has never played at the Windsong Farm Golf Club in Maple Plain, Minn. The par-71, 7,300-yard course will present a unique set of challenges to the team.
“It’s going to be a tough test,” coach Pat Goss said. “Without any experience, we’re definitely going to have to feel out the course and get comfortable.”
After playing the course in a practice round, Chun was pleased with the grounds.
“I really like it,” he said. “It’s a longer course, and it can be challenging, especially when using long irons. We might see some higher scores this weekend, but we can be effective here.”
One team most observers expect to be effective at the championships is Illinois. Consistently ranked in the top-15 nationally throughout the year, the Illini come in as clear-cut favorites.
“They’re an extremely aggressive group of golfers,” Goss said. “That’s a team that really believes they are the best, and it shows in their game. I’d like to see that kind of confident attitude from our guys.”
Beyond Illinois, the field appears wide open. Iowa, Indiana and Penn State performed near NU’s level most of the season, while Ohio State has experienced a late-season revival with two runner-up finishes in its last three contests.
“If Illinois slips up, the conference is up for grabs,” Goss said. “We need to be ready to step up.”
The Cats’ performance last weekend may have raised some doubts as to whether they could rise to the occasion at the conference tournament. Their sixth place finish out of twelve teams at the Boilermaker Invitational marked their worst showing of the spring, but Goss remained optimistic about his team’s chances.
“We made a lot of unforced errors then, but our game is where it needs to be,” Goss said. “A good start will be key for us this weekend. If we can build some confidence and just control what we can control, we’ll be in a good place. I expect a lot from these guys.”
Aside from Chun, Goss will be relying on senior Jonathan Bowers, juniors David Lipsky and Josh Dupont and sophomore Sam Chien. The four-round tournament starts today. [email protected]
