Men’s Golf

Northwestern’s disheartening finish at the Gifford Intercollegiate Championship shows the difference a year can make.

NU had good reason to celebrate on the long flight home from California after last season’s Gifford Intercollegiate Championship. The event capped the Wildcats’ fall season with one of their strongest performances of the year, highlighted by then-freshman Dylan Wu’s dramatic individual victory on the tournament’s final hole.

This season’s return trip promised to be more subdued, as NU struggled to a 12th place finish in the event’s 15-team field. Coach David Inglis’ team was unable to carry over the momentum it built after a strong third-place finish at last week’s Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, and will now have an entire offseason to contemplate its lackluster season-ending performance.

“Obviously it’s a bit of a disappointing way to end the season, especially considering how well a lot of the guys had been playing coming in,” Inglis said. “We all felt good about our chances this week, but for whatever reason it just never really clicked for us.”

Unseasonably tough conditions may have played a role in the Cats’ struggles. The already difficult Legends Course at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, was made even tougher by gusting winds that increased steadily as the event went on.

The team’s Saturday practice round was played in perfect conditions, and Inglis as well as several of his players said they believed the course might yield some low scores. That did not prove to be the case.

“We were all a little surprised by how hard it blew all three days, because all of a sudden it was just like someone turned on the fans,” Inglis said. “That’s obviously no excuse though. We play in Chicago all the time and we all know how hard the conditions can be there, so it’s something we should have been able to handle.”

NU’s three-day total of 37-over, 889, left the Cats well behind eventual winner Washington, who defeated a field that consisted of a number of the nation’s premier golf programs, including Stanford, UCLA and South Florida.

Although Wu was did not defend his tournament title the way he would have liked, his 6-over, 219, was good enough to lead the team and place him in a tie for 24th overall.

“There are a lot of positives that I’m going to take away from this week even though it wasn’t exactly the kind of result I would have envisioned,” Wu said. “I made 11 birdies and an eagle, so if I’m doing that I’m definitely playing well enough to win the tournament. I just made too many dumb mistakes that ended up costing me.”

Wu was followed by senior Andrew Whalen, who carded a 7-over, 220, to finish tied for 31st.

Freshman Luke Miller and sophomore Sam Triplett posted scores of 12-over, 225, and 13-over, 226, to finished tied for 51st and tied for 56th, respectively, while senior Josh Jamieson’s 17-over, 230, placed him tied for 68th. Playing as an individual, freshman Ryan Lumsden fired a 14-over, 227, and finished tied for 60th.

The disappointing performance has left the Cats’ lineup in flux outside of Wu and Whalen, whom Inglis praised for their consistent performances this season. NU has now used four different lineups in its four fall tournaments, and will likely seek a measure of stability this offseason.

“We’ve given a lot of guys opportunities to show what they’ve got in competition, and so far they’ve been pretty up and down,” Inglis said. “This offseason is going to be huge, because you essentially have six guys competing for three spots. We’re very excited to see who separates themselves.”

Despite the substandard end to the year, Wu said he believes there is reason for optimism moving forward. The Cats can work on fine-tuning their games throughout the winter in preparation for their spring season, which starts Feb. 12 with Big Ten Match Play in Palm Coast, Florida.

“The work that you put in during the offseason is what is going to make the difference when you get back out there, and that’s something that we all understand,” Wu said. “We’re all ready to grind and put in the hours, especially when you have to end the season with a bad taste in your mouth like this.”

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