DeKALB – Following its top-two scores of the season, the NIU men's golf team will turn its attention to the 2017 FAU Slomin Autism Invitational March 24-27. The competition will pit the Huskies against 11 other programs including in-state foe DePaul. The historically friendly FAU Slomin Autism Invitational takes place at the PGA National Resort in West Palm Beach, Fla.
This tournament comes on the heels of NIU's third consecutive top-10 finish, taking seventh at the Grand Canyon Invitational in Phoenix last weekend. The Huskies shot 862 (+10) with a final round score of 288 (+4), allowing NIU to hold onto its seventh place standing entering the round.
Three Huskies finished in the top-30 led by
Thomas DeMarco who tied for 19th with an even par 213. DeMarco shot three-consecutive rounds of 71 and has shot -2 in his first six rounds as a Huskie.
Jordan Less was not far behind DeMarco as he finished with a three-round tally of 216 (+3) that landed him in a tie for 27th. He carded a final round 74 (+3).
Charlie Cameron scored a 217 (+4) after three rounds of play and recorded NIU's best round of the tournament with a first round 69 (-2). Cameron finished tied for 30.
Salvador Rocha finished in a tie for 59th, moving up 19 spots with his -1 in the final round while
Matt Cholod rounded out the group, tied for 63rd.
The PGA National Resort is home to five golf courses and hosts the PGA Tour's Honda Classic each spring. Some of the game's most prestigious tournaments have been held at the resort, including the 1983 Ryder Cup, 1987 PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship from 1982-2000.
The FAU Slomin Autism Invitational will take place at The Squire Course. It is the shortest of the five courses at the PGA National Resort playing at only 6,447 yards with a par of 72. The Squire was designed by Tom and George Fazio and was named after Gene Sarazen who was the first golfer to ever win the professional Grand Slam.
The course features heavy vegetation and wildlife due to its location next to a wilderness preserve. The lack of distance is counteracted by the smaller than average greens that make for tough approach shots.
Live scoring can be found on Golf Stat. The Huskies and the rest of the field will tee off in a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. Central. Northern Illinois University will be grouped with DePaul, Florida Gulf Coast and Georgetown.
