Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, February 11
Palm Coast, Fla.
All Day
Northwestern
at
Big Ten Match Play
Wildcats Open Spring With Big Ten Match Play Title
2/11/2017 6:29:00 PM | Men's Golf
PALM COAST, Florida – Everton Hawkins sank a 35-foot putt Saturday afternoon on No.18 to earn a 1-up victory and clinch the 2017 Big Ten Match Play Championship for the Wildcats at Hammock Beach Resort. Northwestern defeated Penn State 3.5-2.5 in the championship match to earn its league-best fourth championship in the spring kickoff event.
BIG TEN MATCH PLAY RESULTS
"The guys were impressive this week, they fought hard to the end of each match and came away with the win," head coach David Inglis said after the celebration. "Penn State really made it close and it could have gone either way at the end."
Hawkins was a perfect 3-0 in the competition overall, and was tested early in the final round after dropping the first three holes to Penn State's Alec Bard before working his way back to all-square by the turn.
"I'm delighted for Everton to make the winning putt, he had a great weekend of competition and he's got a bright future ahead," said Inglis.
Junior Dylan Wu had the shortest afternoon of anyone on the roster, winning the first four holes and his final three holes in a 7&5 victory to push his record to 2-1-0 on the weekend. Conor Richardson put the finishing flourish on a 2-0-1 mark in the competition with a 5&4 victory in the final round.
The Wildcats knocked off Rutgers, Minnesota and the Nittany Lions on the way to the title on the Conservatory Course, improving their all-time record in the event to a Big Ten-best 27-5.
Big Ten Network will broadcast the 2017 Big Ten Match Play Championship on Sat., Feb. 25 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The Nittany Lions finished second in the Big Ten Match Play Championship, followed by Minnesota who defeated Iowa in the third-place match. Purdue closed out the event with a fifth-place finish after defeating Rutgers, while Michigan earned a victory over Michigan State to finish seventh. Ohio State, Indiana and Nebraska competed in a three-team round robin after being eliminated from the bracket on Friday morning.
FINAL: NORTHWESTERN 3.5, Penn State 2.5
Dylan WU def. Charles Huntzinger, 7&5
Conor RICHARDSON def. Christian Elliot, 5&4
Everton HAWKINS def. Alec Bard, 1-up
Andrew WHALEN A/S J.D. Hughes
Cole Miller def. Ryan LUMSDEN, 2-up
Ryan Dornes def. Sam TRIPLETT, 4&2
SEMI: NORTHWESTERN 4.5, Minnesota 1.5
Andrew WHALEN def. William Leaf, 4&3
Conor RICHARDSON def. Matt Rachey, 2&1
Dylan WU def. Justin Doeden, 2-up
Everton HAWKINS def. Thomas Longbella, 1-up
Sam TRIPLETT A/S Riley Johnson
Runar Arnorsson def. Ryan LUMSDEN, 2-up
QF: NORTHWESTERN 4, RUTGERS 2
Sam TRIPLETT def. Adam Gray, 7&6
Everton HAWKINS def. Jack Panagos, 4&3
Ryan LUMSDEN def. Tony Jiang, 4&3
Conor RICHARDSON A/S Matt Holuta
Andrew WHALEN A/S Matthew Mourin
Toks Pedro def. Dylan WU, 2&1
BIG TEN MATCH PLAY RESULTS
"The guys were impressive this week, they fought hard to the end of each match and came away with the win," head coach David Inglis said after the celebration. "Penn State really made it close and it could have gone either way at the end."
Hawkins was a perfect 3-0 in the competition overall, and was tested early in the final round after dropping the first three holes to Penn State's Alec Bard before working his way back to all-square by the turn.
"I'm delighted for Everton to make the winning putt, he had a great weekend of competition and he's got a bright future ahead," said Inglis.
Junior Dylan Wu had the shortest afternoon of anyone on the roster, winning the first four holes and his final three holes in a 7&5 victory to push his record to 2-1-0 on the weekend. Conor Richardson put the finishing flourish on a 2-0-1 mark in the competition with a 5&4 victory in the final round.
The Wildcats knocked off Rutgers, Minnesota and the Nittany Lions on the way to the title on the Conservatory Course, improving their all-time record in the event to a Big Ten-best 27-5.
Big Ten Network will broadcast the 2017 Big Ten Match Play Championship on Sat., Feb. 25 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The Nittany Lions finished second in the Big Ten Match Play Championship, followed by Minnesota who defeated Iowa in the third-place match. Purdue closed out the event with a fifth-place finish after defeating Rutgers, while Michigan earned a victory over Michigan State to finish seventh. Ohio State, Indiana and Nebraska competed in a three-team round robin after being eliminated from the bracket on Friday morning.
FINAL: NORTHWESTERN 3.5, Penn State 2.5
Dylan WU def. Charles Huntzinger, 7&5
Conor RICHARDSON def. Christian Elliot, 5&4
Everton HAWKINS def. Alec Bard, 1-up
Andrew WHALEN A/S J.D. Hughes
Cole Miller def. Ryan LUMSDEN, 2-up
Ryan Dornes def. Sam TRIPLETT, 4&2
SEMI: NORTHWESTERN 4.5, Minnesota 1.5
Andrew WHALEN def. William Leaf, 4&3
Conor RICHARDSON def. Matt Rachey, 2&1
Dylan WU def. Justin Doeden, 2-up
Everton HAWKINS def. Thomas Longbella, 1-up
Sam TRIPLETT A/S Riley Johnson
Runar Arnorsson def. Ryan LUMSDEN, 2-up
QF: NORTHWESTERN 4, RUTGERS 2
Sam TRIPLETT def. Adam Gray, 7&6
Everton HAWKINS def. Jack Panagos, 4&3
Ryan LUMSDEN def. Tony Jiang, 4&3
Conor RICHARDSON A/S Matt Holuta
Andrew WHALEN A/S Matthew Mourin
Toks Pedro def. Dylan WU, 2&1
••••••
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