Northwestern Finishes Strong at OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational

9/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

Sept. 18, 2011

Final Results (PDF Format)

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. -- Northwestern fired its best team score of the tournament in Sunday's final round of the Olympia Fields Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational presented by Polo.

"Our team goal today is a top-10 finish for the final round," head coach Pat Goss tweeted before the round. "There is nothing we can do about the last two days but we can focus on getting better today."

The 'Cats did just that, teeing off the back nine and firing a 15-over 295 that was indeed one of the 10 best team totals of the day. NU finished the 15-team tournament in 15th place with a 54-hole total of 67-over 907 (299-313-295).

Senior Eric Chun (Ansung City, South Korea/International Christian School) was a study of consistency Sunday, making 15 pars, two bogeys and a birdie for a closing 1-over 71. Entering the difficult 496-yard par-4 18th at 1-over par, Chun striped his drive and hit an excellent second shot to par the hole for the first time in the tournament. He followed that up with two great shots on the par-5 first hole for a birdie. Chun found trouble when he hooked his drive on No. 3 but was able to get relief from a sprinkler head and save par to remain even on the day. Rain began to really pelt the field as Chun played the ninth hole, and a bogey there accounted for his final total of 71. Chun placed 41st overall with a 54-hole score of 14-over 224 (76-77-71).

Senior Sam Chien (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) had his best round of the tournament by far Sunday, carding an eventful two-over 72. He was three-over through his first five holes before making birdie at the 15th and a nice up-and-down par at No. 16 in a light but persistent rain. A double bogey at 18 put him at four-over making the turn. Chien hit the gas on the front side, carding birdie at the first and back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes to get back down to 1-over par. A final bogey at No. 7 gave him a 2-under 33 on the front side and a 2-over 72 on the day. Chien ended up 55th overall with a 17-over 227 (76-79-72).

Sophomore Jack Perry (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara) fired a 6-over 41 on the back nine before starting his front side in style with a birdie 4 at No. 1. On the second hole, he had to punch out of the left rough before hitting a pitch nice and tight for par. "That's the work you need to do at Olympia Fields," Goss said.

Three more bogeys coupled with a birdie at the par-3 sixth accounted for a front nine 1-over 36 and a final round total of 7-over 77. Perry placed 58th in the tournament with an 18-over 228 (76-75-77).

Freshman Bennett Lavin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), who entered Sunday at 22-over par, worked very hard on his putting following a second-round 83. He responded nicely with his best score of the tourney, a 5-over 75 that gave him a 54-hole score of 27-over 237 (79-83-75). Lavin made two birdies in his opening nine Sunday -- doubling his previous total in the tourney -- in addition to converting a nice up-and-down par save on the par-3 16th with a high, soft flop shot and solid four-foot make. In addition to holing some solid putts, including a 12-foot birdie effort on No. 17, Lavin also had five bogeys and a double to account for his final 75.

Freshman Matthew Negri (El Cajon, Calif./Grossmont) got off to a slow start with a 6-over 41 on the back nine, but he came out and immediately birdied No. 1 on the front side. Another four-over stretch from holes No. 2 to No. 4 sent him to nine-over par on the day, but he made five-consecutive pars to finish his tournament playing well. On the 247-yard, par-3 eighth hole, Negri hit a beautiful high, cut three wood to the putting surface to make his par. Negri's final round 9-over 79 placed him 66th overall at 22-over 232 (71-82-79).

Northwestern next hits the course Oct. 9-11 at The Prestige hosted by Stanford and UC Davis in La Quinta, Calif.

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