Men's Golf | September 11

INDEPENDENCE, Minn. - The Northern Illinois University men's golf team opened its 2023-24 season this weekend tying for 10^th place at the Gopher Invitational, hosted by Minnesota at Windsong Farm Golf Club.
 
"This opening week was a tough one to assess from a coaching standpoint because I felt like we did so many positive things," said head coach John Carlson. "Windsong Farm played over 7,500 yards and it's one of the longest courses I've coached at. It played tough and the scores showed that. This year's team has a real opportunity, with the level of talent we have and competitive experience, to build on last's season's success."
 
Junior Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) led the Huskies with a one-under par 54-hole score of 212, tying for 11^th place. Sluzas made seven birdies in his opening round Sunday morning but finished with an even par round of 71. He then followed that up with a 72 in round two. Sluzas carded a 69 in Monday's final round to move into a tie for 11^th. After starting his round on the back nine two-over par through four holes, Sluzas birdied the par-four 14^th and par-three 16^th to get to even par on the day. He made three birdies on the front nine, including the seventh and ninth holes to finish his round with a two-under par 69. Sluzas had 15 birdies in the tournament, second-most of any golfer in the field.
 
Felix Krammer (Waakirchen, Germany/Arkansas State) finished in the top-20 in his NIU debut, tying for 18^th place at one-over par. He opened Sunday with a 74, then bounced back with a team-low 69 in round two. Krammer made an eagle at the par-four 11^th and added two more birdies on the back nine. He wrapped up the tournament on Monday with an even par round of 71.
 
"Felix has a very predictable, consistent golf game," said Carlson. "His ball-striking is tour level and when his short game is on, he's going to be consistently in the mix to win tournaments individually."
 
NIU made a nine-stroke improvement Sunday between rounds one and two. The Huskies went from a team score of 294 to a one-over par 285. Krammer led NIU with a two-under par 69. Ian Bruchhauser (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) posted an even-par 71, an eight-stroke improvement from his opening round. Josh Kirkham (Hinsdale, Ill./Bradley) improved by five strokes with a two-over par 73 in round two. Sluzas' 72 rounded out the scoring group.
 
"We didn't get off to the best of starts Sunday, but we bounced back in the second round," Carlson said. "Felix and Ian really led us back in that second round. In the last two rounds we kept the ball in play and kept double bogeys off the scorecard. Because of that we were able to climb back for a very respectable finish against a field that was full of Power Five opponents and teams that reach the NCAA Regionals on an annual basis."
 
The Huskies entered Monday's final round in 13^th place. With a team score of 287, NIU moved up three spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 10^th place with Iowa State at +14. UNC Wilmington won the event by five strokes over Kent State.
 
NIU is next in action Sept. 18-19 at the VCU Shootout at The Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Va.

--NIU--