Fresh off a runner-up finish at the Fighting Irish Classic, Northwestern stumbled in the early stages of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, finishing 13th over the weekend.
Georgia Tech hosted the event, featuring 15 teams. Two squads –– No. 11 East Tennessee State and No. 12 Georgia Tech –– earned spots in Golfweek’s top 15.
Junior Cameron Adam topped the leaderboard for the Wildcats, shooting 1-under par through 54 holes and tying for 25th on the tournament. Adam saved his best performance for Sunday’s final round, when he shot 3-under with five birdies to climb 11 spots in the standings.
Graduate student James Imai shot 2-over, good enough for a share of 38th place. Sophomores Ethan Tseng and Daniel Svärd each tied for 45th with three strokes over par through 54 holes.
NU got off to a sluggish start on Friday morning, shooting a combined 12 shots over par through its first nine holes. While Svärd shot three strokes over par to begin his round, he caught fire on the final nine holes, drilling five birdies to finish 2-under on the day.
Tseng, Adam and Imai all shot even-par to put NU in a ninth-place tie with USC, rounding off the first round for the ‘Cats.
Although Friday’s efforts put coach David Inglis’ squad firmly in the mix, a tough second round sent NU tumbling down the leaderboard Saturday. Adam and Imai both went 2-over and the ‘Cats combined for a 298-stroke second round, plunging down to 13th.
Despite a 5-under 283 final round display on Sunday, NU’s leaderboard standing remained unchanged. Adam, after shooting even for the first 15 holes, sunk three consecutive birdies to cap a stellar 69-stroke showing. Tseng and freshman Jeremy Chen each shot 1-under Sunday.
Northwestern will be back in action in two weeks, heading west to Carmel, California, to compete in the Cal Poly Invitational at The Preserve Golf Club.
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— Men’s Golf: Northwestern looks for redemption after NCAA Regional heartbreak
— Men’s Golf: Sophomore Ethan Tseng earns medalist honors at Fighting Irish Classic
