Northwestern began its spring season strong with a win against Michigan State to win the Gantner Cup for the second year in a row Saturday.
The Wildcats returned to the par-72, 7,375-yard Mountain Lake Country Club in Lake Wales, Florida to compete in the event that consisted of foursomes in the morning and four-ball in the afternoon.
NU duo senior Akshay Anand and sophomore Mark Gazi lost to the Spartans by one in the opening match.
But the ’Cats redeemed themselves soon after with a pair of victories by freshman Monty Holcombe and junior Jeremy Chen and senior Daniel Svärd and freshman Isaac Lee. Holcombe and Chen staved off their opponents with a 2-and-1 win, and Chen and Svärd cruised to a 4-and-3 victory over their Michigan State opponents.
A 1-up loss for NU by senior Ethan Tseng and redshirt sophomore Rowan Sullivan put the Wildcats and the Spartans on even ground at the end of the morning.
The ’Cats and Michigan State started off the afternoon play with two all-square matches. Holcombe and junior Archie Finnie, as well as Lee and Tseng, were each unable to secure victories.
Still, the ’Cats persisted as Gazi and Svärd put NU ahead on the scoresheet with a 4-and-3 win, and then Sullivan and Chen clinched the win for the Wildcats on the 18th hole of the last match of the event.
The ’Cats will return to play at The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, California, from Feb. 16 to 18.
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