Eight years ago, Northwestern coach Emily Fletcher and her golfers stood on the doorstep of greatness.
The Wildcats reached the national championship at Rich Harvest Farms in Big Rock Township, Illinois, but came up just short of claiming the program’s first-ever national title in 2017.
But on Wednesday night, as the sun began to set on the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa golf course in Carlsbad, California, Fletcher stood amongst a throng of elated NU golfers.
They had crossed the threshold. They had won it all.
With a 3-2 match play win over No. 1-ranked Stanford, the No. 11-ranked ’Cats etched their names into the annals of women’s golf history, capping off a ferocious seven-round tournament sprint with the program’s first-ever national title.
“They just kept plodding along. … They never got ahead of themselves,” Fletcher told Golf Channel. “I’m so proud of them. It’s not us — they did it. It was amazing. And I just think a little bit of belief in yourself can go a long way.”
The ’Cats arrived in the Golden State with a gritty attitude.
After shooting a team 3-over and then a team 3-under in the first two rounds of stroke play, NU stood at even and in second place.
A blazing team 8-under third round, which included eagles by senior Lauryn Nguyen — who shot a 5-under 67 — and freshman Elise Lee, put the ’Cats in prime position to qualify for the match play stage.
Despite shooting a team 10-over during the fourth and final round, NU still finished third overall, comfortably advancing with seven other teams to the match play quarterfinals.
Tuesday morning’s match play began against No. 2 Arkansas, which placed sixth. Lee clinched her match by one hole after trailing by three with nine holes left. Freshman Hsin Tai Lin — taking on Maria José Marin, the individual national champion — won by three holes with two holes left to play, but Arkansas clinched the other two matchups.
It all came down to Nguyen, who forced a playoff with her Razorback opponent. During the 19th hole, on her birthday, the senior from Seattle drilled a five-footer, sending NU to the semifinal round.
A few hours later, the ’Cats teed off in the match play semifinals — this time, against No. 5 Oregon.
Sophomore Ashley Yun led for most of her match and secured a two-hole victory by the 17th hole for NU’s first point of the contest. Lee, after trailing through 13 holes, fired three birdies throughout her final four holes to win on the 17th.
Junior Dianna Lee held off a late surge to win her match, sending the ’Cats to the final round for a chance to make history.
While Stanford climbed out to an early lead during the final round, NU battled back.
Hsin Tai Lin shot lights-out, first sinking a 50-foot putt on the 2nd hole to tie her match before extending her lead with a long chip-in on the 7th hole. She ultimately won her match by four holes with two holes to play.
Nguyen, meanwhile, took a one-hole lead in the sixth that she held until the 17th hole. After a well-executed approach shot, she sank a birdie putt on 18 to clinch NU’s second point.
Dianna Lee rose to a three-hole lead on the 12th hole, though Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta — the No. 7-ranked golfer in the country — crawled back into contention. But she maintained a one-hole lead to secure her victory.
After she clinched the championship on the 18th hole with a two-putt par, the ’Cats consortium mobbed her on the green.
Champions.
