Men's Golf | September 2

BARK RIVER, Mich. - The Northern Illinois University men's golf team opened its 2024-25 season this weekend at the Island Resort Intercollegiate, hosted by South Dakota State at Sage Run Golf Club. Freshman Beau Petersen (Gretna, Neb./Gretna) led the Huskies with a top-40 finish in his collegiate debut as NIU finished 12th as a team.

Petersen tied for 38th place in his first event at NIU, finishing with a 54-hole score of six-over par 222. After an opening round 78 on Sunday morning, Petersen bounced back in the afternoon with a one-under par 71. The freshman made four birdies in the round, including back-to-back at 16 and 17 to get to one-under for his second circuit. Petersen was NIU's low scorer in Monday's final round, carding a one-over 73.

"Beau really competed well this weekend," said head coach John Carlson. "He stayed composed and patient. His 71 yesterday afternoon was one of the better scores of that round in those wind conditions. We finished in the dark and Beau kept a really solid round together. He came back today after starting double bogey, bogey, and finish one-over to lead our team the last two rounds. I'm really proud of the way he played to start the year."

Senior Ben Sluzas (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) posted NIU's lowest round of the weekend on Sunday with an opening round two-under par 70. He birdied holes eight and nine to wrap up a 34 on the front nine. Sluzas posted a 78 in round two and a four-over 76 on Monday to finish tied for 49th at eight-over par. Sophomore Craig Long (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) finished right behind Sluzas, tying for 52nd at nine-over par. Long was in the scoring group in all three rounds this weekend, posting a one-over par 73 in Sunday's second round for his lowest round of the tournament. Felix Krammer (Waakirchen, Germany/Arkansas State) tied for 56th at 10-over par after back-to-back rounds of 75.

NIU finished play on Sunday at 19-over par and in eighth place thanks to an eight-over 296 in round two that moved the Huskies two spots up the leaderboard. The Huskies were 11-over par on the day Monday and moved down to 12th at +30, four strokes behind North Texas. Purdue won the tournament at -18 with Boise State in second place.

"We're still very excited about the team that we have," Carlson said. "We just had a shaky start and didn't score well. I know Felix, Ben and Craig will play considerably better at Windsong Farm. They'll be ready to play and have the right mindset. The quick turnaround will give us a chance to get ready faster for the next tournament at Minnesota."

The Huskies are back in action September 7-8 at the Gopher Invitational, hosted by Minnesota at Windsong Farm Golf Club.

—NIU—

Individual Results

Beau Petersen: +6, T-38 (78-71-73=222)

Ben Sluzas: +8, T-49 (70-78-76=224)

Craig Long: +9, T-52 (77-73-75=225)

Felix Krammer: +10, T-56 (76-75-75=226)

Patrick Bruminhent: +17, 69th (76-77-80=233)

Jack Mulligan (Ind.): +15, T-63 (76-80-75=231)