Men’s Golf: No. 31 Northwestern earns another top-five finish, ties for fourth at Lewis Chitengwa Memorial
Daily file photo by Esther Lim
Graduate student David Nyfjäll hits the ball. Nyfjäll tied for third place individually at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.
April 16, 2023
After a 12th place finish at the Valspar Collegiate late last month, No. 31 Northwestern bounced back at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial on Tuesday, tying for fourth place with No. 6 Auburn.
The Wildcats’ final placement on Tuesday was good for their seventh top-five finish out of their nine total tournaments this season.
NU’s strong start carried the way toward a top-five finish — tallying a 6-under 278 in the opening round. Reigning Big Ten Champion and graduate student David Nyfjäll led the early charge with a 5-under 66, the Cats’ best individual round of the tournament. Sophomore Cameron Adam added with a 3-under 68.
The second round saw NU take a slight step back, carding a 1-under 283 and falling to sixth place. Nyfjäll continued to impress though, hitting a 3-under 68 and reaching 8-under through the first two rounds.
The graduate student sat in a first place tie with Florida State’s Luke Clanton in the individual standings entering the final round. Both Adam and senior James Imai were tied for 26th at even par.
With only one stroke separating fifth and sixth place and six strokes between fourth and sixth, the Cats remained in serious contention for a top-five finish entering the final day.
NU then delivered in the clutch, as four out of five Cats carded a score under par. The team concluded the tournament with a 7-under 277, only four strokes behind the round’s top score.
Adam put up his best round of the tournament, firing off a 4-under 67 and collecting six birdies over the final 18 holes. Nyfjäll, freshman Daniel Svärd and junior Chris Zhang each shot a 1-under 70. This propelled NU up two spots into a tie for fourth with Auburn, who fell a spot after shooting even par in the final round.
Nyfjäll was the only Wildcat to finish each round under par, tying for third place individually. Adam and Svärd followed at 13th and 32nd, respectively.
With the season winding down, only one tournament sits between now and the Big Ten Championship in late April — meaning this top finish is even more significant.
NU’s next outing will be back in Illinois at the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate starting April 22.
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