Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
The Goodwin
First Round Complete at The Goodwin
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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The Goodwin Stanford Golf Course • Palo Alto, Calif. • NU's Place: 19th/24 teams Golfstat.com Live Scores • First Round Results  |
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PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Northwestern opened play Thursday at The Goodwin hosted by Stanford at the Stanford Golf Course as one of 24 teams in a massive field in a tournament named for former Wildcats and Cardinal coach Wally Goodwin.
NU shot an 8-over 288 to find itself in 19th place, one stroke behind Minnesota and three shots behind 37th-ranked Colorado. The Wildcats are two strokes ahead of a 20th-place tie between Boise State and No. 8 USC.
Northwestern has a strong connection to this event through its namesake. After the NU program went through a period of club status in the late 1970s, Goodwin was hired in 1981 to help kick-start the program's rebirth as a varsity sport. He recruited eventual All-American Jim Benepe who would go on to earn the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.
The 2015 Goodwin continues tomorrow, Friday, March 27, with the second round. After playing in the afternoon wave Thursday, NU will compete with the morning wave Friday.
Senior Bennett Lavin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) led Northwestern Thursday with an even-par 70 in the opening round, placing himself 36th among the field. He carded three birdies during the round, but each time immediately followed with a bogey, making his stays in red numbers brief. Still, Lavin is in the top third of the field following 18 holes of competition.
Dylan Wu (Medford, Ore./St. Mary's School) had birdies on each of Stanford Golf Course's two front-nine par 5s, but a bogey-double bogey finish to the side had him at 3-over 38. He carded another bogey at the 10th before playing great golf the rest of the way, finishing with birdies at Nos. 16 and 18 to get back to a 2-over 72. Wu is in 66th place entering Friday's second round.
Charles Wang (Beijing, China/Sarasota Christian School) had four bogeys on his card Thursday before he found a first birdie at the 424-yard par-4 13th. He then carded pars the rest of the way for a 3-over 73 to stand 78th in the field after 18 holes of play.
Matthew Negri (El Cajon, Calif./Grossmont) began his tournament with five-consecutive pars before a pair of late bogeys on the front nine led to a 2-over 37. He eventually found himself at 6-over par through 15 holes of play, but got one shot back with his lone birdie at No. 18 to card a 5-over 75. Negri also is in 78th position among the monster field.
Junior Josh Jamieson (St. Andrews, Scotland/High School of Dundee) made birdie on both of the front-nine par 5s, though he still turned at even-par 35. Bogeys at Nos. 12 and 14 on the back nine put him 2-over for the day before a bogey at No. 17 and an uncharacteristic quadruple-bogey 8 at the last resulted in a 7-over 77.
Senior Scott Smith (Pepper Pike, Ohio/University School) and freshman Sam Triplett (Scottsdale, Ariz./Brophy Prep) both are competing as individuals in this tournament. Smith got off to a rough start, standing 5-over through four holes, but he played the remaining 14 holes in 1-under par to card a 4-over 74. Meanwhile, Triplett had a fast start and a slow finish. He turned in 1-over 36, but ended up at 6-over 76 at the end of Thursday's action.
Northwestern - 19th/24 • 288 (+8)
T36 -- Bennett Lavin -- 70 (E)
T66 -- Dylan Wu -- 72 (+2)
T78 -- Charles Wang -- 73 (+3)
T78 -- Matthew Negri -- 73 (+3)
*T92 -- Scott Smith -- 74 (+4)
*T115 -- Sam Triplett -- 76 (+6)
T120 -- Josh Jamieson -- 77 (+7)
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