After sharing the title at the Windy City Collegiate Classic, Northwestern traveled to California to compete in the Stanford Intercollegiate. The 19-team field was stacked with top programs including No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Oregon. Eight of the top-10 teams in the country were in the field. The ‘Cats didn’t have their best performance and finished tied for 12th, while Stanford took the win on its home course.
Northwestern opened the tournament with a team score of 5-over and sat in 10th place after the first round. Arianna Lau continued her impressive start to her collegiate career with a 4-under round that included five birdies. Her score was seven shots better than any other Wildcat and put her in a tie for second individually after 18 holes.
On day two, the ‘Cats posted an 8-over team score. Lau once again led the way with a 1-under round, moving into a tie for fourth individually. Ashley Yun turned in a solid 2-over round with four birdies. Despite some struggles across the lineup, Northwestern stayed tied for 12th after 36 holes and had an opportunity to move up in the final round.
The Wildcats closed with a 6-over team score to finish tied for 12th overall. Dianna Lee carded an even-par round, while Megan Meng added a 1-over performance. It wasn’t the finish Northwestern hoped for but competing in one of the strongest fields in college golf provided valuable experience as the team looks ahead to the rest of the fall season.
The par-71 course played tough overall with an average score of 72.95. The hardest round came on the opening day when players averaged 73.29, while round two played the easiest at 72.34. Only three holes played under-par, with the easiest being the par-5 12th at 4.69. The toughest hole on the course was the par-4 6th, which averaged 4.37. The ‘Cats made the second-most pars in the field with 180 but didn’t convert enough birdies to stay in contention.
Lau led Northwestern with rounds of 67, 71 and 75. Despite a disappointing final day, she still had a strong showing, finishing 1-under and in 20th place. Lau was at her best on the par-4s with a 3.93 scoring average, which ranked fifth in the tournament.
Dianna Lee and Yun also turned in steady performances for NU. Lee finished tied for 53rd and closed with her best round, an even-par 71 that included two birdies, two bogeys and 14 pars. Yun placed 60th with rounds of 74, 73 and 74, making seven birdies over the three days.
Meng, Hsin Tai Lin and Lauren E. Lee also competed for the ‘Cats. Meng and Tai Lin tied for 65th, while Lauren E. Lee finished 80th. Meng saved her best golf for the final round with a 72 that featured two birdies, including one on the challenging par-4 9th. Tai Lin also closed strong with a 73 and two birdies, one at the par-3 8th and another at the par-4 11th. Lauren E. Lee ended her week with a 72 and excelled on the par-3s, finishing with the fifth-best scoring average on those holes at 2.87.
Northwestern will look to bounce back and finish its fall season on a high note at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta from Oct. 27 to 29. The event will be broadcast nationally on Golf Channel and will feature one of the strongest fields in college golf. The ‘Cats will once again have the opportunity to compete against top programs and test themselves against elite competition.
