After spending three days in paradise – the Ocean Club Golf Course in Paradise Island, Bahamas – NIU men’s golf wrapped up its fall season finishing in 6th place at the White Sands Collegiate. Senior Felix Krammer commanded the charge, logging his second-straight top-ten placement.
“He (Krammer) has the opportunity and already puts himself in position to win an individual event – that’s tough right now at the NCAA level,” said NIU men’s golf head coach John Carlson. “He’s complete in his tee to green game and the short game. From there, the sky’s the limit.”
Krammer finished the tournament in 8th place overall, marking back-to-back top-ten finishes after leaving the Badger Invitational on Oct. 1 in second place. Krammer dazzled the first two rounds, exiting the first frame with a score of 68 – four under par.
Krammer’s efficiency bled into the second round, in which he improved to a score of 67 – his best of the tournament. He rounded out the event with a third round score of 71, dropping out of the top-five but solidifying his placement in the top-ten.
NIU men’s golf entered this tournament following an unexpected three and a half week break after winning the Badger Invitational at the beginning of October. NIU was supposed to compete in the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 13, but the event was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.
“Coming off the team victory at Wisconsin, it was exciting to see our team back competing,” Carlson said. “Led by an outstanding 54 holes and kind of a complete tournament by Felix Krammer. Everyone contributed this week in each of the rounds and we kept double bogeys off the scorecard.”
As a team, the Huskies raked in 850 strokes throughout the tournament. NIU opened the tournament posting a score of 280 – the team’s best round of the weekend. The Huskies proceeded to log a score of 282 in the second round and a score of 288 in the third round.
The Huskies second golfer was senior Ben Sluzas, who finished tied for 18th place. Sluzas got off to a hot start, setting his season low score of 67 in the first round. Sluzas shot his worst in the second round, posting a score of 73. He exited the tournament with a score of 71 in the third round.
“We talked about starting fast and he (Sluzas) did just that,” said Carlson. “The 67 in the first round propelled our team to a great start and he kept us in the mix the entire tournament.”
With the 18th place finish, this is Sluzas’ second consecutive top-20 placement.
Tying for 38th place, freshman Conner McCall finished third in the Huskies’ lineup. McCall shot a 72 in the first round and a 71 in the second round – his best of the weekend. In the third round, a score of 75 dropped him 12 spots in the rankings.
The Huskies’ fourth golfer was freshman Patrick Raupp, who tied for 43rd place individually. Raupp kicked off the tournament with a score of 73 in the first round. His best round was the second, shooting a 71. A third round score of 75 sabotaged Raupp.
Rounding out the Huskies lineup, sophomore Craig Long finished tied for 56th place. Long got off to a shaky start, accumulating 80 strokes in the first round. Long improved in each of the next two rounds, logging a score of 74 in the second round and 71 in the third round.
With the close of the White Sands Collegiate, NIU men’s golf has no events for the remainder of the fall season. The Huskies will return to action for the spring season in February at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational.
