Northwestern University Athletics
Windon Notebook: Course Records and Freshman Nerves
9/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
By Eric Clark
SKOKIE, Ill -- Former Wildcat Luke Donald now has company at the top of the Evanston Golf Club's record book, as Tulsa's Colton Staggs matched the club's 18-hole record of 63 (-7) in the final round of the Windon Memorial Classic on Monday.
"I didn't know about (the course record) until after my round, and it hasn't sunk in yet," said Staggs. "I played one of my better rounds today under pressure."
Staggs vaulted up the leaderboard on the final day, moving from 18th to first place while carding seven birdies in the process. The junior's three-round score of 205 (-7; 69, 73, 63) bested Minnesota's Jose Mendez and California's Cameron Shaw's scores by one stroke. The tournament title is the first of Stagg's collegiate career.
Freshman Dylan Wu made his collegiate golf debut for Northwestern at the Windon Memorial, firing a 216 (+6; 75, 72, 69) to tie for 29th. Despite struggling on the first day, the Medford, Oregon, native was able to rally on Monday as he carded five birdies and jumped 19 spots up the leaderboard.
Wu admitted that nerves played a role in his early struggles.
"The atmosphere of college golf is a little more intense than junior golf," he said. "Today was definitely a lot more relaxing, especially since I had my coaches with me during the entire 18."
Wu said he felt driven to card a respectable score on the final day in order to give the `Cats a push in the team standings.
"The team atmosphere is a little different, because your score doesn't just matter to yourself. It matters to your team and your school," he said.
Overall, Wu considers his collegiate golf debut a success.
"You're not going to play perfect every day, especially on collegiate golf courses that are super tough," he said. "I'm pretty excited with how today went."
Northwestern junior Josh Jamieson tied for 23rd, moving up three spots in the final round. The Saint Andrews, Scotland, native carded a 214 (+4; 72, 71, 71) over the course of the two-day event.
"I played badly today, but I was able to recover (on the green) and save a lot of strokes," said Jamieson. "I wasn't really scaring the hole today, and I had a lot of 40-foot birdie putts. I'm happy that my bad rounds are 72's and 71's rather than 77's or 78's."
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and Instagram, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and sign up to receive promotional text alerts for the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!
