For more than two decades, one of Northwestern's proud golf traditions is hosting the Windon Memorial Classic. The tournament is named after the late Bernie Windon, a Northwestern alumnus who spearheaded the effort to bring major collegiate golf to the Chicagoland area.

"The event was created to build the program," said Pat Goss, Director of Golf and Player Development. "We wanted to have a high-quality event that teams wanted to play in. The goal was to create reciprocity for Northwestern to play a high-level schedule."

The first tournament, known then as the Quintessence Classic, was contested in the fall of 1993 at Kemper Lakes and Royal Melbourne Golf Courses. Kent State won the team title, while Stanford's Casey Martin took home individual honors.

When the tournament first started, Goss was the assistant coach under then head coach Jeff Morey.

"The first year we paid for flights, rental cars, all the food, hotels, everything – for all of the teams," Goss said. "We were able to attract a very strong field right away. Florida, North Carolina, Stanford and Duke played that year - it was a great field."

Quintessence is defined as the most perfect or typical example of quality and class. And, to Mr. Windon, that word encompassed everything that represented the Northwestern golf program.

That December, Mr. Windon passed away. Shortly thereafter, the tournament was renamed to the Windon Memorial Classic and, to keep Mr. Windon's "quintessential" spirit alive, tournament participants compete for the Quintessence Trophy.

"Bernie was the one who came up with the name 'quintessence.' He loved that word," Goss said. "None of us knew what it meant, and we had to look it up, but that is how it was developed."

The Windon Memorial took a two-year hiatus in 1996 and 1997 as NU hosted the 1996 Ping/Golfweek Preview and the 1997 NCAA Championships.

In 1998, the tournament was moved to the North Shore with the goal of hosting at various high-end courses in the area - courses that the Wildcats played frequently with the intent of creating a home-course environment.

"This tournament draws teams that know they will be playing at a great classic Chicagoland country club that has hosted a lot of major events and continues to host major events," said Goss. "These are types of courses that [teams] will see at regionals and national championships."

The Windon Memorial is no stranger to hosting some of the game's best. Many well-known golfers have teed off in hopes of claiming the individual title including Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan, Joe Ogilvie, Gary Woodland and Northwestern's own Luke Donald.

"The year Tiger played, we had to bus fans in because we had such big crowds…that is the great thing about college golf. There are no ropes, there are no hospitality suites," said Goss. "It is your chance to walk right down the rough in the fairway line with the future PGA Tour stars of tomorrow.

"It is an opportunity to see great players when they are young, playing high-quality golf in a very fan-friendly environment."

The 1999 Windon Memorial Classic was played at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. It showcased a stellar field, with five teams ranked in the top 25. NU's Luke Donald was the individual champion firing a 4-under-par, 209.

This year, the Wildcats look to bring back the Quintessence trophy back to Evanston. NU last won the team title in 2013.

"The guys are always really excited about this event," said Goss. " It is a course they are familiar with and they have played a lot, and we will take advantage of hosting at home. I don't think there is a tournament all year that they feel more prepared to play than they do [The Windon]. There is something so unique about playing at home."

"Our players do not get the opportunity to play in front of our home fans very often," said head coach David Inglis. "This is always a special week on the calendar and I know our guys are excited for it."

Inglis has served as the tournament director since he arrived in Evanston seven years ago.

This year, the two-day tournament will be played Sept. 25-26. The competitors will play a 7,103-yard, par-72 field at North Shore Country Club, which previously hosted U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championships as well as the 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2010 Windon Memorial. Spectators are encouraged to attend; admission is free.

Play will consist of five-man teams with the best four scores counting towards the daily total. Teams will play 36 holes on Sunday and 18 holes on Monday. Participating squads feature universities from all over the country: Florida, Marquette, Michigan, Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin, Indiana, Rutgers, UC Davis, Princeton, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and DePaul.

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Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

How the Windon Memorial Classic Became One of NU's Proud Traditions

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