In its lone home tournament this season, Northwestern dazzled at the Windy City Collegiate Classic on Monday and Tuesday. Behind the play of junior Lauryn Nguyen, who took home individual honors at the tournament, the Wildcats nabbed a runner-up finish, carding a 23-under 841 (279-282-280).
NU got off to a slow start in its season-opening tournament last month, tying Texas State for 12th place out of 16 teams.
As the ‘Cats returned home to Evanston, coach Emily Fletcher said the team just needed to settle in. She said she left New Mexico with a “lot of belief in this group,” one which she expects to be good.
NU hosted 14 other Power-Five schools earlier this week, and Fletcher’s message to her team was simple.
“We really challenged our players to just go play golf,” Fletcher said. “Don’t make it more than it is; don’t make more of it being a home event. Don’t talk yourself into thinking that a bogey is a bigger deal in a competitive round than it is any other day. Just respond, look for the next opportunity and they did a tremendous job of that.”
The result? The lowest-scoring tournament the ‘Cats have ever recorded at Glen View Club, according to Fletcher.
Propelled by Nguyen’s stellar play in the first and third rounds, NU was able to stave off Oregon for sole second place. Nguyen, coming off a top-30 finish in Albuquerque, jumped out to a fast start on Monday, opening with a 6-under 66 featuring six birdies and an eagle.
“(Nguyen) got off to a hot start and really just built on that momentum,” Fletcher said. “She’s a fierce competitor. She enjoys playing in front of people and with people watching. We had a lot of people out supporting and I think that gave her an incentive and fueled her fire a little bit.”
The Seattle native closed Monday with a 2-under 70, tied for first place heading into Tuesday’s final round. But it was sophomore Dianna Lee’s 5-under 67, which kept the ‘Cats one shot clear of the Ducks.
On the final day, all five NU players shot even par or better, highlighted by Nguyen’s 3-under 69 tally, capping off her tournament-low 11-under 205 performance. Senior Jennifer Cai finished seven strokes behind Nguyen with a 4-under 212 card and a top-20 finish.
The ‘Cats will have a short trip to Medinah, Illinois, for the Illini Invitational next week. Although it’s early in the season, Fletcher said optimism abounds surrounding the depth of NU’s lineup moving forward.
“This group continues to prove that one through five, anybody can really get it going and go low on any given day,” Fletcher said. “That gives a lot of confidence and a lot of belief into this group. It’s not just one player.”
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