Indiana men’s golf continued its upward trend Tuesday, tying for fifth place at the Windon Memorial Classic hosted by Northwestern at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The Hoosiers played in the 54-hole tournament both Monday and Tuesday on a par-70, 6,716-yard course. They entered the tournament after tying for seventh out of 12 teams at the Highlands Invitational on Sept. 21-22 and beginning their season tied for 16th at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate on Sept. 1.
Indiana opened Monday with its best round of the tournament, scoring 273. The team was led by sophomore Jake Cesare, who shot 4-under, and junior Bradley Chill Jr.’s 3-under performance. Senior Cole Starnes finished the opening round under par with a 1-under 69.
In the second round, Indiana was unable to maintain its first-round pace. The team score rose 18 strokes to 291, its highest of the tournament, with all five scoring Hoosiers shooting over par.
In Tuesday’s final round, the Hoosiers rebounded, shooting a 282 to finish the tournament at 846, 6-over par. Senior Nick Piesen and junior Jamison Ousley led the final-round effort, each recording their best round of the tournament. Ousley carded a 2-under 68 after shooting consecutive 74s on Monday, with six of his nine birdies coming in his final round. Piesen shot a 1-under 69 to finish at 3-over for the tournament.
Cesare finished as Indiana’s lowest-scoring golfer for his second consecutive tournament, tying for 12th with a 1-under par 209. His opening-round 66 was the lowest single-round score by a Hoosier this season. Cesare recorded 10 birdies across the three rounds and followed the 66 with rounds of 71 and 72.
This fall marks Cesare’s first season of collegiate competition after he did not compete during his first year at Indiana in 2025-26. Before joining the Hoosiers, he was a four-time top-10 finisher at the Indiana High School Athletic Association Boys State Finals and finished as the individual state runner-up in 2024.
Behind Cesare, Piesen tied for 35th, while Starnes tied for 43rd at 5-over. Starnes rejoined Indiana’s five-man lineup following an individual appearance at the Highlands Invitational. Ousley’s final round helped move him into a tie for 48th at 6-over, while Chill finished tied- for 55th at 8-over.
Senior Alec Cesare competed separately at the tournament, as an individual. His scores did not contribute to Indiana’s team total. He tied for 85th after shooting 21-over across the three rounds.
Eleven of Indiana’s 15 opponents in the tournament finished last season inside the national top 100, including No. 39 the University of Kansas, which won the Windon Memorial Classic at 4-under, No. 32 University of Notre Dame, which came in third at 1-under, and No. 20 North Carolina at Charlotte, which tied with Indiana for fifth place.
Indiana men’s golf will next play Oct. 4-5 at the Fighting Irish Classic at Warren Golf Course in Notre Dame, Indiana, before competing in the Golfweek Invitational Oct. 5-6 in Muncie, Indiana.
