Worn out from its tough travel schedule, the Penn State men's golf team placed 10th this past weekend at the Northern Intercollegiate, hosted by Illinois. Finishing just one stroke away from a three-way tie for seventh place, the Nittany Lions turned in a combined score of 907 (+43) over three rounds at the par-72 Stone Creek Golf Club.
The Northern Intercollegiate, held every fall, is the precursor to the Big Ten Championships that take place at the same site in the spring. The field of 18 teams, including all but two Big Ten teams, made for a strong field of competition. First place team honors went to Big Ten-rival Purdue, turning in a team score of 889 (+25) while Iowa took second place with a score of 893 (+29).
Despite Penn State's disappointing finish, standout red-shirt senior Matt Abbott turned in a stellar performance. Abbott claimed first place individual honors at the tournament this year, repeating his first-place finish at the Northern Intercollegiate, hosted by Purdue last year. Abbott's notoriety in the Northern Intercollegiate extends beyond that. He placed second in the tournament hosted by Minnesota in 1998.
Abbott posted scores of 70, 71, and 74 for a total of 215 (-1). Abbott was the only player to finish the tournament under par, a distinction he held at the tournament last year as well.
"What he has achieved so far is just awesome," Penn State men's golf coach Greg Nye said. "He's been on one heck of a roll."
Another player continuing his strong performance for the Lions was junior Josh Dawes, finishing in a six-way tie for 21st place, carding a score of 226 (+10). Also for the Lions, red-shirt junior Andy Latowski shot rounds of 76, 76, and 80 to tie for 54th place at 232 (+16). Redshirt junior Jeff Turton tied for 71st place shooting 236 while redshirt sophomore Jim Fuller placed 89th overall with a score of 245.
Nye is confident in his team's ability to perform well and is looking forward to a strong showing when the Lions travel to Ohio to compete in Xavier's Provident Invitational October 9th and 10th.
