A sloppy start turned into a powerful conclusion in La Quinta, Calif., as Northwestern finished with a five-under 859 to work its way into an eighth-place tie with No. 6 University of Central Florida.
The Wildcats struggled early, but improved by 15 strokes in the second round and added a solid 4-under performance in the final round to pull into the top 10.
“(Today was) a solid day, but the rally fell short,” NU coach Pat Goss tweeted. “Solid tournament.”
Bennett Lavin had the strongest finish of anyone on the team, shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in 30th place. The freshman was at par through six holes when he had to take a sock and shoe off to take a shot from the water on the seventh hole. He ended up saving par on the hole, before posting four straight birdies.
“Lavin follows up with birdies at 10 and 11,” Goss tweeted after the final two birdies. “Really putting well.”
Teammate Eric Chun had a more adventurous final round, mixing six birdies with four bogeys to clock in with a 2-under 70. The senior finished the tournament in 39th place.
Senior Sam Chien took 34th place.
The Cats face a relatively quick turnaround, as they will be in action Sunday and Monday at the Windon Memorial Classic in nearby Skokie, Ill.
