Northwestern opened its 2026-27 season with a ninth-place finish at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. The field featured several strong teams, including No. 12 Texas and top-30 programs Alabama and Georgia Tech. First-year Kuan Zhou led the way individually for NU, finishing tied for 14th at 2-under.
The ‘Cats got off to a fast start in the first round, sitting at 5-under through their first three holes. Northwestern finished the round at 1-over and sat tied for sixth. First-year Carter Gaede and senior Jeremy Chen led the way with 1-under rounds of 70. The ‘Cats remained within striking distance of the leaders heading into the second round.
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Northwestern posted another 1-over round in the second, remaining tied for sixth. Zhou put together the team’s best round of the tournament, shooting a 4-under 67 with five birdies and no bogeys. Four of his birdies came on the front nine as the Texas native moved into the individual top 10. Monty Holcombe also had a strong round, shooting 2-under with four birdies.
The ‘Cats entered the final round looking to make a push up the leaderboard but again finished at 1-over. Northwestern was 4-under through the front nine before struggling on the back nine. Gaede led NU with a 1-under 70 while Zhou and Chen each shot even-par 71. The ‘Cats finished ninth overall.
American Dunes Golf Club played tough throughout the three days. The par-71 course averaged 72.83 strokes per round. The second round was the toughest, with an average score of 73.12, while the final round was the easiest at 72.36, still more than one stroke over par.
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Only five holes played under par for the tournament. The easiest was the par-5 sixth, which averaged 4.81 strokes. The toughest was the long par-4 second, which played to an average of 4.48. The par-5 13th was the third-toughest hole despite being a par-5. The hole stretched 679 yards, making it one of the longest par-5s in the world.
Northwestern found success on the par-3s, averaging 3.07 strokes per hole, which ranked fourth in the field. The ‘Cats also recorded 178 pars throughout the tournament, the third-most in the field and just two behind the tournament leader.
Zhou led Northwestern individually, finishing tied for 14th at 2-under in his first collegiate tournament. He posted rounds of 73, 67 and 71. Zhou also ranked third in the field in par-3 scoring, averaging 2.83 strokes and finishing 2-under on par-3s.
Chen and Holcombe both finished tied for 25th at 1-over. Chen recorded six birdies across the three rounds and posted scores of 70, 73 and 71. Holcombe made nine birdies and shot 72, 69 and 73.
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Gaede and Rowan Sullivan also competed for the ‘Cats. Gaede opened and closed the tournament with 1-under 70s. He struggled in the second round with a 76 but still put together a strong first collegiate tournament, making nine birdies and finishing tied for 31st. Sullivan finished 70th after shooting 73 in the opening round. He made three birdies in the first round, which was his best of the tournament.
Northwestern will look to build on its opening tournament as it returns to action at the Olympia Fields Collegiate from Sept. 18-20. The ‘Cats will have an opportunity to improve on their ninth-place finish while continuing to develop a young roster.
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