Driven by junior Craig Long’s first-place finish, NIU men’s golf wrapped up competition at the Badger Invitational on Tuesday. Finishing in fifth place overall, NIU had several golfers mark season-best finishes.
“The first tournament was a setback and the response was exactly what I thought a championship program would have” said NIU men’s golf head coach John Carlson. “All our guys competed very well this week led by Craig Long with his first ever collegiate victory”
The Huskies finished the tournament totaling 861 strokes, which is an over 200-stroke improvement from their last-place finish at the Gopher Invitational to open the season. NIU opened the tournament logging 286 strokes in the first round – its best of the tournament – followed by scores of 288 in the second round and 287 in the third round.
Long claimed victory at the individual with a career-low 205 strokes across three rounds. Furthermore, Long shot a career-best score of 65 to close out the tournament – nearly matching NIU’s 18-hole scoring record and solidifying NIU’s top-five finish.
In the opening rounds, Long remained under par, setting a season-high in each round. He opened the tournament with a score of 71 and proceeded to card 69 strokes in the second round.
Freshman Devin Swoyer also finished in the top 10, ending four under par for a total of 212 strokes. Swoyer logged season-best scores of 70 strokes in each of the first two rounds, followed by a score of 72 in the third round.
“Craig played flawlessly for all 54 holes, and Devin’s first collegiate start for the team to finish top ten it really shows the amount of talent that we have in our youth within the program” Carlson said.
The next two Huskies to finish competed as individuals, and did not affect the overall team score. Sophomores Jack Mulligan and Patrick Raupp finished tied for 29th place and tied for 47th place respectively.
Mulligan led the group of individuals, finishing three over par and totaling 219 strokes. Mulligan peaked in the first and third round, setting season-low scores of 73. Raupp logged 222 total strokes – six over par – and found his best round of the tournament in the third, carding a season-best score of 72.
Sophomore Conner McCall finished tied for 53rd place, leaving the tournament as NIU’s third-best golfer. McCall started strong, shooting a 72 in the first round before a 78-stroke second round held McCall back. Ultimately, a score of 73 in the third round was not enough for McCall to crack the top 50.
Finishing tied for 68th place, freshman Corentin Guilloux was the Huskies fourth-best golfer. Scores of 78 in the first and third frames bit Guilloux. He found his season-best score in the second round, carding a 71.
Rounding out the Huskies’ lineup, sophomore Beau Peterson tied for 73rd at 12 over par, accumulating a total of 228 strokes. Peterson peaked in the first round with a score of 73, but fell flat in the following rounds, posting 78 in the second and 77 in the third.
UP NEXT
The Huskies travel north to compete at the Jim DeLapa Collegiate, hosted by Central Michigan University. The event is an all day competition beginning on Sunday and ending on Monday at the Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
