Coming in last place at their first invitational of the fall season, NIU men’s golf finished the Gopher Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota, in 15th place.
“It’s a demanding test of a golf course (Windsong Farm Golf Club),” said NIU men’s golf head coach John Carlson. “It’s a championship layout and we struggled with our tee balls, really in all three rounds, and that contributed to our finish in the event.”
The Huskies finished the tournament with a total of 896 strokes, 12 more strokes than University of St. Thomas, who finished in 14th place. The second round was the best for the Huskies, totaling 294 strokes.
Sophomore Beau Petersen was the top finisher for the Huskies, tying for 45th place. Petersen ended the second round even with par, and a score of 22, eight over par, over the three rounds.
Tied at 65th place, junior Craig Long and freshmen Corentin Guilloux both finished 13 over par and carded a score of 226. Long shot a 73 in both the second and third rounds but was limited by a nine-over par first round. Guilloux’s best rounds were the first and second, in which he posted a score of 75.
Sophomore Jack Mulligan left the tournament as the Huskies’ third golfer, finishing in 72nd place, and concluded his run with a 79-stroke third round. Scoring 76 and 74 in the first two sets, Mulligan totaled 229 strokes — 16 over par.
Sophomore Patrick Raupp was the lowest-placing Huskie, finishing directly behind Mulligan in 73rd place. Raupp ended with an overall score of 230, 17 over par, with a 74 in the first round as his best.
“This week was mostly frustrating,” Carlson said. “We do have a young group and there’re going to be some growing pains as we go through the season. From a positive standpoint, we got to travel with a young group, enjoy the experience together and get to compete at a first class event at the collegiate level.”
Playing at the Minnesota Golf Classic, a tournament of individuals and Division III programs that took place in conjunction with the Gopher Invitational, sophomore Conner McCall took 12th place. Finishing 1 stroke over par, McCall ended with a 217.
“We need to kind of assess our lineup and potentially make changes as we head into the Badger Invitational,” Carlson said. “Conner McCall played outstanding golf at the Minnesota Classic.”
UP NEXT
NIU will travel to another Big Ten hosted tournament, the Badger Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, beginning on Sept. 22.
“We have to be better off the tee,” Carlson said. “And mentally, we have to exude more confidence in our own abilities, and hopefully go out there and play the way we’ve been playing in qualifying.”
