The Northern Illinois men’s golf team finished in seventh place after rain washed away today’s final round of the CSU/Telich Sun Life Financial Golf Invitational.
The final tally left NIU (604, +36) a stroke ahead of Loyola-Chicago for seventh place in the field of 15. The finish gives the Huskies three consecutive top 10s after a 12th-place showing at the season-opening Marshall Invitational.
Senior Jeff Dick (Sherman, Texas/Sherman), despite a soaked Canterbury Golf Club ending his top-10 bid, still reeled in a tie for 16th. The veteran turned in an excellent five rounds of play on the road trip, leading the Huskies with a 74.2 scoring average.
“(The two events) were almost like a week of travel,” said NIU head coach Tom Porten. “It was a good test to look at the depth of our program in year two. The big positive was that Jeff played well. It’s good that he’s starting to turn things around. He’s going to be a big part of our success this year. When he and Andrew (Frame) play well, we can compete with just about any team in the Midwest.”
Senior Tim Kay (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) claimed a tie for 33rd after turning in rounds of 75 and 77 on Monday. Kay’s finish was his best since his tie for 23rd season debut at the Marshall Invitational.
Senior Andrew Frame (Manteno, Ill./Manteno), who bounced back from a first-round 80 to post a second-round 74 Monday afternoon, posted a tie for 43rd. Junior Griffin Bauman (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) and sophomore Matt Gorman (Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee) tied for 43rd.
“We beat a lot of teams we hadn’t beaten in a long time (over the weekend),” Porten said. “Not really playing a good team round here at Cleveland State shows that we have a ways to go. We need to sharpen the short game. I like the way we are competing, though.”
The Huskies will travel home from Ohio today for a week of practice before heading back east Monday, Oct. 11, for the Bearcats’ Cincinnati Invitational.
For more information on NIU men’s golf and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
