Men’s Golf

Coming off a tournament-best 17-under second round, Northwestern was poised to win the Cal Poly Invitational with an eight-stroke lead.

However, after hitting 11-over in the final round, the Wildcats lost their lead and finished second on Tuesday with a 16-under 848.

Despite the rough ending, it has been a stellar fall tournament season for NU. This was the Cats’ fourth straight top-five finish –– placing fifth, second and first in their previous three tournaments.

NU began the tournament in California with an impressive first round. Graduate student David Nyfjäll led the team with a five-under 67, with freshman Daniel Svärd next in line with three-under. The Cats ended the round tied with Marquette for first place.

The second round was where NU really separated itself from the pack. 

Senior James Imai took over, carding a tournament-best six-under 66 and helping the Cats retain sole possession of first place following the round. Overall, NU shot a 17-under 271, six strokes better than any other team that round.

By the conclusion of Monday’s play, NU held an eight-stroke advantage over runner-up Ohio State.

But a collapse in the final round brought the Cats back down to earth. Every NU golfer except for Imai hit over par for the round as the Cats found themselves three strokes behind the Buckeyes by the end.

It was nonetheless a successful outing, particularly for Imai, who finished in fourth individually with a score of seven-under. Two other Cats finished in the top 15 –– Nyfjäll tied for ninth and sophomore Cameron Adam tied for thirteenth.

With this invitational over, NU has now completed its fall tournament schedule. The team’s next outing will occur on Feb. 3 when Big Ten Match Play commences.

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Twitter: @lucaskim_15

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