Men's Golf | October 3

MADISON, Wis. – The Northern Illinois University men's golf team saved its best round of the Badger Invitational for the final round Tuesday at University Ridge Golf Course, posting a four-under par 284 to move into a tie for ninth with the hosts Wisconsin.
 
"We were in a position today with nine holes to play where we could have finished anywhere from eighth to 15^th place, it was a strong field from top to bottom," said head coach John Carlson. "The way we finished the round today will help us as we continue to gain momentum this fall. I'm very proud of the way the guys handled the last 27 holes. It was windy today and to shoot four-under in the final round and move up shows how this team just grinds out every round."
 
Junior Felix Krammer (Waakirchen, Germany/Arkansas State) led the way with a final round three-under par 69, his second of the tournament, to move into a tie for fourth place with a 54-hole score of five-under 211. Krammer chipped in for eagle at the par-five ninth, his final hole of the day Tuesday, to move into the top five. He opened the tournament Sunday with a round of 69. Of his nine rounds played so far this fall, six have been at even par or lower.
 
"Felix has been a great addition to our program," Carlson said. "He's professional in his approach and it shows in the way he handles adversity. His iron play is so solid and elite. When he has that short game going and he's holing putts, he's going to have a lot of opportunities to be a contributor at the top of our lineup and be in contention to win tournaments."
 
Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) matched Krammer with a 69 on Tuesday, putting five birdies on his scorecard in the final round. After an opening round 76, the junior posted rounds of 72 and 69 to finish tied for 35^th at one-over par.
 
Josh Kirkham (Hinsdale, Ill./Bradley) and Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) both had their best rounds of the tournament as well on Tuesday. Kirkham posted an even par 72 while Long, making his debut in the NIU lineup this week, bounced back from a second round 84 to get in the scoring group with a two-over par 74. Zach Place (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) got off to a good start with back-to-back rounds of even par 72 on Sunday and Monday but posted a 76 on Tuesday to finish tied for 49^th at four-over.
 
"This is a team that can adjust to difficult conditions," said Carlson. "The golf course got firm and fast today which required our guys to adjust. They can handle adversity and it's going to be a strong field at Purdue next week and an even stronger one at Quail Valley to close the fall. We just need to get off to a solid team start each week. I think our final rounds have probably been our best rounds and that says a lot about the composure of our team."
 
The Huskies tied with Wisconsin for ninth place at three-over par, two strokes ahead of South Alabama and Ball State. Florida Gulf Coast won the tournament by one stroke over Illinois State and Middle Tennessee with Long Beach State and VCU tying for fourth place.
 
NIU heads to West Lafayette, Ind. Oct. 9-10 for the Purdue Fall Invitational at Ackerman-Allen Golf Course.
 
--NIU--