Men's Golf | October 4

SUGAR GROVE, IL – The Northern Illinois University men's golf team had a strong finish to its home Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate on Monday, posting a team score of five-under par to take fourth place at nine-under.
 
"We got off to a fast start Saturday and shot nine-under par, which is certainly our best round here at Rich Harvest Farms," said head coach John Carlson. "We had some adversity Sunday and found ourselves in a battle today. I'm really proud of our team and our staff for finishing fourth. The way that we prepared for this tournament was exactly what we needed to compete against these great teams."
 
Freshman Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) was NIU's top finisher in the event, posting his first career top-10 finish. Sluzas tied for seventh with a 54-hole score of five-under par 211. On Monday, Sluzas carded a one-under par 71. Three of his four birdies on the day came on the back nine, with his fourth coming on the second hole to finish his round.
 
"Ben is mature beyond his years, which has certainly helped him at the start of this season," Carlson said. "He's also very confident in his ability and it allows him to be on the offensive on a hard golf course like Rich Harvest Farms. He played a lot of smart shots out there this weekend."
 
Zach Place (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) had the Huskies' low round of the day with a three-under par 69. Place was two-over par for the day after his first four holes before going on a scoring barrage. He made three straight birdies at the sixth, seventh and eighth holes then made an eagle at the par-four ninth. Place started the back nine with a birdie at the 10^th that put him at -4 for the round. He finished the tournament tied for 18^th with a two-under par 214, moving up six spots on the leaderboard Monday.
 
"Zach's round was huge for us today and propelled us up the leaderboard," said Carlson. "He was ready for his opportunity this week and he played well all three days. His eagle on the ninth where he drove the ball within a foot of the hole is certainly something he build momentum off into the upcoming weeks."
 
Luc Warnock (Windsor, Ontario, Canada/E.J. Lajeunesse) was also under par on Monday with a one-under 71. The junior tied for 31^st in the tournament at one-over par. Tommy Dunsire (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) rounded out the NIU scoring group Monday with an even par round of 72. Dunsire wrapped up the tournament at even par in a tie for 26^th.
 
NIU took advantage of favorable conditions to post a team score of five-under par 283 on Monday, a 10-stroke improvement from Sunday's second round. The Huskies finished two shots behind Wisconsin, who finished in third. Purdue won the team title by one stroke over Missouri.
 
"Rich Harvest Farms, as the home to Huskie Golf, really showed well this weekend," said Carlson. "All the teams that came here walked away knowing that it was a great championship, a great golf course and a great setup."
 
The Huskies are next in action Oct. 11-12 at the Boilermaker Invitational hosted by Purdue.
 
--NIU--