Junior Daniel Svärd shot a team-best 4-over 214, finishing 19th individually as No. 27 Northwestern placed 12th at the Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships at the Baltimore Country Club in Timonium, Maryland, over the weekend.
The Wildcats finished 28 strokes over par — 26 strokes behind championship winner No. 12 UCLA — though no team shot under par at the event and only six individual golfers clocked a 54-hole score under par.
Svärd, who completed a 1-under 69 final round, was one of three golfers to shoot under par on the final 18 holes as consistent winds impacted the course.
“The wind is something we don’t mind, being out in Chicago every day practicing,” Svärd told The Daily ahead of the Big Ten Championship. “It’s kind of part of a daily habit for this crew we got.”
The Järfälla, Sweden, native opened the final round with three straight birdies, soaring 39 places up the leaderboard in Sunday’s round.
He hovered around 3-under before bogeying two of his final three holes, finishing only a stroke under par.
Sophomore Niall Shiels-Donegan led NU after Friday’s first round, carding a 1-under 69. However, a 5-over 75 and 4-over 74 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, sent his final score down to an 8-over 218. Shiels-Donegan finished 32nd.
Junior Ethan Tseng placed 46th, shooting a 10-over 220 through 54 holes.
Senior Cameron Adam hung around the top 25 through the first two days, entering Sunday’s final round in 24th, but had a disastrous final 18 holes — logging an 11-over 81 with three double bogeys and five bogeys. He finished 65th with a 13-over 223.
Sophomore Archie Finnie tied for 83rd among the 87 golfers who played all 54 holes with a 19-over 229.
The ’Cats must receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which features 30 teams. If they are selected, they will compete in the NCAA Tournament regionals from May 12-14 ahead of the NCAA Championship, May 23-28 in Carlsbad, California. If they are not, their season will be over.
The selection show is at 1 p.m. on April 30.
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Related Stories:
— Men’s Golf: Svärd eyes three-peat as Northwestern readies to defend Big Ten Championship crown
— Men’s Golf: Svärd co-champion as No. 34 Northwestern places third at The Goodwin
