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Men’s golf close Northern Intercollegiate with strong last nine

September 8, 2014
Liam White

Liam White

The NIU Huskies closed the Northern Intercollegiate Sunday afternoon with its best score at the tournament since 2011 at Rich Harvest Farms.

Senior Liam White (Waukegan, Ill./Carmel Catholic/Indian Hills CC) led a strong comeback in the Huskies last nine holes as he shot three under par (33). The NIU lineup accounted for nine birdies after the turn.

“Even though the season is in its infancy, it was great to see us play our best nine holes of the year. Raphael birdied five, six and seven, and Liam, coming off of his worst nine holes, shot his best nine holes. Shooting a 33 on the silver nine is a really strong score,” said Director of Golf Tom Porten.

“We didn’t play team golf today, we had some individuals that played some good rounds. Pierrick played well, Raphael played well, Joo-Young played better today and that’s a good sign but as a team, you have to have four good scores and the four guys of the five have got to help you,” Porten said. “It was a little disappointing our experienced guys couldn’t get the job done but we have two weeks to work on our game before we head to Wolf Run at Indiana. We’re going to manage our game a whole lot better next time we compete.”

While morning play got off to a slow start, the latter half of Huskie play was very strong, leading NIU to its strongest three-round score at Rich Harvest Farms since the 2011 Northern Intercollegiate, when the course played at par 71 and almost 300-yards shorter (6,964).

White, who started the day shooting a 45 on the front nine, bounced back with a 33 after the turn as he carded five birdies and three pars with a bogey on nine to end the tournament. The 33 was his best round of the tournament by five strokes.

Pierrick Fillon

Pierrick Fillon

Raphael Denais (Saint-Aventin, France/Lycee Ste Ursule) posted NIU’s best round of the day and the Huskies top-score of the tournament as he shot a 75 on the day (+3) and a 233 (+17) during the tournament. On the day, Denais carded five birdies including one on 18 which ranked as the second-toughest hole on the course during the first and third rounds.

On the individual side of play, Pierrick Fillon (Voreppe, France/Lycee Pierre Beghin) shot a 76 during the final round as he was one over on the front nine of the course with two birdies. Fillon tied for 32nd during the tournament, NIU’s highest finish.

The Huskies will return to action Friday, Sept. 20, when they head to Zionsville, Ind., to play in the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, hosted by Indiana.

For more information on NIU men’s golf and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.