Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Windon Memorial Classic
Wildcats Among Tightly Packed Leaderboard at Windon Memorial
9/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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18th Windon Memorial Classic Evanston Golf Club • Skokie, Ill. • NU's Place: 13th/15 teams Golfstat.com Live Scores • 36 Hole Results •  Photo Gallery |
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SKOKIE, Ill. -- On a blustery Sunday with alternate sunshine and rain drops at the 18th Windon Memorial Classic hosted by NU at Evanston Golf Club, the Wildcats improved two spots from the first round to the second round during a 36-hole day.
Northwestern currently is 13th among the 15-team field at 20-over 580. NU was in last position following a morning 13-over 293, then rebounded for a 7-over 287. A tightly bunched leaderboard puts the Wildcats just six shots shy of sixth place.
California (+4) leads both Ohio State and Michigan by a single stroke atop the leaderboard. Cal managed the day's only under-par team round with a 1-under 279 Sunday afternoon. Individually, Minnesota's Jose Mendez tops the standings at 5-under 135 following strong rounds of 68 and 67.
"Evanston (Golf Club) is in great shape with decent rough and it's blowing today," Director of Golf Pat Goss tweeted. "Eighteen mph sustained winds will make for tough scoring conditions."
Not one team finished under par during the morning round with just 12 strokes separating the entire field, from Michigan (+1) to Northwestern (+13). "(We) struggled a bit this morning," Goss tweeted. "Need to stay patient, keep fighting with good attitudes and play better this afternoon. Really tough conditions."
NU played six strokes better in the afternoon and has an opportunity to march much further up the standings with a strong final round Monday. That third and final round of the 18th Windon Memorial Classic gets underway with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22.
Junior Josh Jamieson (St. Andrews, Scotland/High School of Dundee) was 2-over par through 11 holes on the morning round and managed to stay on that number while finishing up during some of the most challenging weather of the day. He made birdie at the 399-yard par-4 15th and a bogey at the last for his opening 2-over 72.
In the second round, Jamieson had one birdie and one bogey on the front, and still was even par through 15 before a late bogey at the 16th accounted for an afternoon 1-over 71 and a 36-hole total of 3-over 143 (72-71). Jamieson is 26th overall.
Senior Scott Smith (Pepper Pike, Ohio/University School) was able to carve out five birdies during his morning round. After turning at even-par 35, he made birdies at Nos. 13 and 15 to get to 2-under par, but three bogeys over a tough closing three-hole stretch left him at 1-over 71 for the morning. In the afternoon, Smith battled back from two early bogeys to turn in 1-over before seven pars and two additional bogeys on the back left him at 3-over 73 and 4-over 144 (71-73) for the tournament. Smith is one spot behind Jamieson for NU in 31st position among the field.
Senior Bennett Lavin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) fired a 5-over 75 in the morning, but bounced back with a much stronger afternoon. Lavin birdied both of the course's par-5s, turned in 1-under 34 and fought his way home in 1-over 71. Lavin's 6-over 146 (75-71) places him 39th entering Monday's final round.
Freshman Dylan Wu (Medford, Ore./St. Mary's School) carded a double bogey on his very first hole in collegiate competition but recovered to make five-straight pars afterward and turn at 3-over 38. On the back nine, Wu made seven pars in a row before finishing bogey-bogey for a 5-over 75.
Wu was much improved in the afternoon, recording an outbound 1-over 36 featuring eight pars and a bogey. He began to falter with bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 on the back but stopped the slide with a birdie at the 550-yard par-5 13th. He then made par the rest of the way in, including on the very difficult three-hole finishing stretch, to sign for a 2-over 72. Wu stands 48th in the field at 7-over 147 (75-72).
Senior Matthew Negri (El Cajon, Calif./Grossmont) opened his first round with a triple-bogey 7 during an adventurous playing of the third hole that involved an unplayable lie. That score set the tone for what would end up being a 7-over 77 in the morning. In the afternoon, Negri avoided the large number, making four bogeys and 14 pars for a 4-over 74. Negri in 70th place at 11-over 151 (77-74).
Two Northwestern freshmen, Charles Wang (Beijing, China/Sarasota Christian School) and Sam Triplett (Scottsdale, Ariz./Brophy Prep), made their first-collegiate starts as individuals in the Windon field.
Wang played better than his morning 8-over 78 would indicate, given that the total included a quadruple-bogey 8 at the difficult par-4 18th. The scoring reflected the play much more in the second round, when Wang carded a tremendous 3-under 67. Starting on the back nine, Wang turned in even-par 35 and was cruising along before a birdie-eagle combination at the short par-4 fifth and the 503-yard par-5 sixth led to his 67. On No. 6, Wang put his second shot mere feet from the cup.
Wang's second round vaulted him 41 places up the standings to 36th at 5-over 145 (78-67).
Triplett put together four birdies in his first round, turning at even par, but a six-bogey back nine resulted in a 4-over 74 to start. In the second round, Triplett reversed course. He fired a 3-over 38 going out but had a great second nine featuring two birdies and an even-par 35 coming in. His 7-over 147 (74-73) total put him in 48th place overall.
Northwestern - 13th/15 • 293-287=580 (+20)
T26 - Josh Jamieson -- 72-71=143 (+3)
T31 - Scott Smith -- 71-73=144 (+4)
T36 - Charles Wang * -- 78-67=145 (+5)
T39 - Bennett Lavin -- 75-71=146 (+6)
T48 - Dylan Wu - 75-72=147 (+7)
T48 - Sam Triplett * -- 74-73=147 (+7)
T70 - Matthew Negri -- 77-74=151 (+11)
*Indicates playing as an individual
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