Northwestern could not carry over its second-round momentum at The Goodwin in Palo Alton, finishing tied for 10th after a difficult closing stretch. The Wildcats were part of a loaded 30-team field that included 15 top-50 programs.
Northwestern opened the tournament with a 4-over team round. Rowan Sullivan was Northwestern’s lone under-par finisher, carding a 3-under 67 behind six birdies. The sophomore sat tied for ninth after the opening 18 holes. Daniel Svärd, Northwestern’s highest-ranked golfer at No. 59 in the country, also gave the ‘Cats a solid start, shooting 1-over 71 with three birdies. Still, the Wildcats had work to do and ended the first round tied for 14th.
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NU responded in the second round with a 4-under team score. Ethan Tseng led the way with a 3-under round that included six birdies, one of his best performances of the season so far. Sullivan followed with another under-par round at 1-under, while Svärd and Monty Holcombe each shot 70. That surge moved the Wildcats into a tie for seventh heading into the final round.
The final day started with promise. Every Northwestern golfer birdied the first hole, and the team was 6-under through the front nine, keeping itself firmly in the mix. But the back nine turned costly. The Wildcats played their final nine holes at 12-over and finished the day 6-over, sliding back into a tie for 10th.
Stanford Golf Course proved challenging throughout the event. The par-70 layout played to a 72.27 average over three rounds, with each day yielding similar scoring conditions. The course’s three par-5s were the easiest holes on the property and three of the four holes that played under par for the tournament. The par-5 16th was the easiest at 4.69. Meanwhile, eight holes played at least two-tenths of a stroke over par, with the par-4 sixth standing as the toughest at 4.37.
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Individually, Svärd led the way for Northwestern, finishing at 2-under and tied for 19th. He turned in rounds of 71, 70 and 67, carding at least three birdies in each round. His final-round 67 was one of the Wildcats’ best rounds of the tournament, and his 13 total birdies reflected a steady upward trend across all three days.
Sullivan, Tseng and Mark Gazi also put together strong performances for Northwestern. Sullivan finished tied for 29th at even-par. After opening with excellent rounds of 67 and 69, he closed with a 74, which kept him from climbing even higher on the leaderboard, but it was still an impressive tournament overall. Tseng finished tied for 44th at 2-over after rounds of 72, 67 and 73. His second round was especially notable, as he closed with three birdies over his final four holes to help spark Northwestern’s rise up the standings. Gazi posted rounds of 72, 69 and 72 to finish tied for 50th. He was consistent throughout the tournament and added seven birdies across the three rounds.
Holcombe and Jeremy Chen rounded out the lineup for the Wildcats. Holcombe’s best showing came in the second round, when he made five birdies and posted an even-par 70. He ultimately finished tied for 77th. Chen finished tied for 143rd after rounds of 75, 75 and 77. He made six birdies during the event and had flashes of strong play.
The Wildcats will return to action next week at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational on April 4 and 5. With the postseason approaching next month, the event will give Northwestern another important chance to sharpen its form and build momentum.
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