Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Golf Signs Two for 2003-04 Season
11/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 14, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - A pair of elite junior golfers have signed National Letters of Intent to play at Northwestern beginning in the fall of 2003. David Merkow (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Union) and Chris Wilson (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) comprise Head Coach Pat Goss' latest recruiting class.
"I could not be more excited to have David and Chris coming to Northwestern next year," said Goss. "They were the two top players on our recruiting list and will make a great impact on our program."
Merkow is coming off an impressive summer. He earned honorable mention 2002 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Polo Junior All-America honors following consecutive AJGA tournament titles in August. The Wisconsin native captured the Marsh Kansas City Junior in Kansas City, Mo. and the SLI Junior Classic in Mashpee, Mass. He also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship for the second straight year, earning a berth in the match-play round in 2002.
"David established himself as one of the top recruits in the nation," said Goss. "Winning back-to-back AJGA events is an incredible accomplishment."
Wilson is the top-ranked junior golfer in Ohio according to Junior Golf Scoreboard. As a prep, he earned All-Ohio honors three times, and was named Ohio Central District Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He has been named Coffman Team MVP in each of his first three high school seasons.
On the junior circuit, Wilson qualified for four U.S. Junior Amateurs, posting the seventh-best qualifying score in 2002. He advanced to match play twice, advancing to the second round in 2002. Also an AJGA tournament regular, Wilson posted five top-10 finishes in national events in 2001 and 2002. He turned in the fourth-best card at the 2001 AJGA Kroger Junior Invitational, and matched that finish this past summer.
"Chris is the best player in a great golf state (Ohio), and qualifying for four U.S. Juniors is impressive," said Goss. "He is a very solid, tough competitor who has been a consistent contender at the national level."
NU, which has captured three of the past four Big Ten championships, finished the fall season ranked No. 13 nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin poll.
