Driven by four top-25 finishes, NIU men’s golf tied for third place in the Lake Las Vegas Invitational, which wrapped up Wednesday.
“The preparation these guys (the NIU men’s golf team) put in, they’re highly detailed in all facets of the game,” said NIU men’s golf head coach John Carlson. “There’s a lot of belief amongst these guys.”
Sophomore Conner McCall led the pack, finishing the tournament tied for sixth place while going seven-under par across the three rounds.
“I just stayed patient and kept hitting it close and eventually got putts to fall,” McCall said. “I knew that my teammates were out there working hard, so I just tried to do my own thing and work for them.”
McCall posted scores of 70 in the first round and 72 in the second round before peaking on the final 18 holes. In the third round, McCall carded a career-low 67 strokes to help secure NIU its top-three finish.
Competing in their first event of the spring season, the Huskies’ logged a season-low 847 strokes, tallying scores of 284 in the first round and 286 in the second round. NIU exited the third round reaching its tournament-low score of 277 in the third round.
“All five of the guys were walking around with a positive energy,” Carlson said about the third round. “They looked confident. They managed the game well and they hit confidently.”
In a field of 11 teams, NIU finished tied with Coastal Carolina University and one stroke ahead of Texas State University and the University of California San Diego. The Huskies finished two strokes shy of second place and six shy of first place.
Junior Craig Long was the Huskies’ second-best golfer, finishing tied for 13th place. Long, who led NIU in stroke average in the fall and finished the event four-under par, peaked with a second-round score of 68.
Finishing just two strokes behind Long and placing tied for 22nd, sophomore Jack Mulligan was the Huskies’ third-best golfer. Mulligan finished the tournament two-under par and found his tournament-best score in the third round, tallying 70 strokes.
Sophomore Patrick Raupp finished as the Huskies’ fourth-best golfer, rounding out NIU’s group of top-25 finishers. Finishing tied for 24th place, Raupp finished the tournament one-under par, including a third-round score of 68.
Sophomore Beau Petersen rounded out NIU’s lineup, struggling in his first competition since the fall season. Petersen tied for 49th place, finishing six-over par.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will compete in the Schenkel Invitational, an all-day event hosted by Georgia Southern University. The tournament will begin March 13 and end on March 15 in Statesboro, Georgia, with live scoring available through Scoreboard.
