The last time Northwestern competed at the Windon Memorial Classic, history was made. Entering the final round of the 2022 tournament tied for sixth place, the Wildcats overcame a 12-stroke lead and tallied a tournament-record 10-under 270 to capture the title.
The 2023 Windon Memorial Classic, however, didn’t bring the same luck. After maintaining a top-three position through two rounds, NU was unable to hold on and fell to a sixth-place finish at 22-under.
The tournament — hosted by the ‘Cats — brought 15 teams from all over the country, including four other Big Ten squads.
The first round saw an impressive start for NU. Both sophomore Ethan Tseng and graduate student James Imai led the team with 4-under performances, while junior Cameron Adam and sophomore Daniel Svärd carded a 3-under 68 and 2-under 69, respectively.
That was enough to propel the ‘Cats into second place, two strokes behind eventual winners Purdue.
The subsequent round provided more of the same as NU tallied a 9-under 275 –– good enough to secure a third-place position by the end of the round.
Once again, Tseng led the squad with a 5-under 66, including six birdies. The sophomore moved into third place individually, following two excellent rounds.
Adam joined freshman Niall Shiels-Donegan at 2-under for the round, with Imai and Svärd tallying even par scores (71).
With only two strokes separating the third-place ‘Cats and sixth-place South Florida, there wasn’t much room for error entering the final round.
Unfortunately for NU, a few minor miscues were all it took to drop out of the top five. An even-par 284 brought the ‘Cats one shot behind fifth-place North Florida at the tournament’s conclusion.
After tying for 18th place at the Gopher Invitational two weeks prior, Tseng stepped up and led the team with a 10-under 203, leading them to a fourth-place tie individually. Adam also placed in the top 10, tying for ninth at 7-under.
As the host of the tournament, NU was able to bring more players than usual, offering valuable playing time to four individual golfers, in addition to the five competing in the team’s rotation. Out of the four players competing as individuals, freshman Archie Finnie stood out with a 2-under 211, tying for 34th place.
The ‘Cats will make their next trip to Indiana, competing at the Fighting Irish Classic on Oct. 1.
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