IU Coach Mike Mayer knew pretty quickly the Northern Intercollegiate would be a battle for silver. Top-ranked Illinois had jumped out to a quick, and insurmountable, lead.
But second place was still up for grabs. So IU men’s golf shot its best finish of the season and earned its goal of taking second place.
Junior Brendon Doyle shot an even par first round and a one over second round. He finished seven over for the tournament, putting him in a tie for eighth, individually. Doyle said the team’s performance as a whole this weekend gave him good vibes going into the last tournament before the break.
“It gives us confidence going forward,” Doyle said. “The fact that we were right there and we didn’t play that well says a lot.”
Marquette, Drake and host NIU rounded out the top five this weekend, with Marquette finishing four strokes behind IU. The Huskies claimed second position after the first round but proceeded to drop eight strokes during the following two rounds, opening the door for the Hoosiers to take their position.
Illinois was the only other Big Ten representative at Northern Intercollegiate, but their presence was felt from start to finish. Illinois has owned the Big Ten as of the first part of the fall season, and if IU wants to finish at the top of its conference, the road currently runs through Champaign, Illinois.
Coming into the final stages of the fall season, the Illini continue to dominate every field it plays in. The Illini held a 20-stroke lead after the first round and finished seven under on the tournament. The Hoosiers, its closest competitor, finished 46 over.
But Mayer said he sees bright spots emerging from his team after its first four tournaments.
The Hoosiers have only one more tournament before the offseason in the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational Oct. 24. The team finished ten spots off the lead in the Florida tournament last season.
Mayer said the qualifying rounds this weekend will help determine the starting five for Quail Valley.
He also said his determination of the starting five comes on a weekly basis, meaning despite solid performances up and down the line this tournament, the team could have a new look in two weeks.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we understand that, and we’re willing to do it,” Mayer said.
