The Northwestern College Golf team season is well underway with four meets already completed. While they haven’t won any meets yet, they’ve been consistently placing near the top as a team, and have been putting up good scores.
They started their season with the UC Ferguson Classic in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they ended up placing 6th out of 12 teams. However the meet was cut short from an expected three rounds to only two. Some standout performances include Axton Miller, who broke 70 both days, and Qwenton Caldwell, who was one stroke back from Miller. Their two scores, plus three more from Van Roekel, Ultermarkt, and Greller led to a team score of five under on the tournament.
They followed it up with the Siouxland Invitational in Sioux Center, which they cohosted. This tournament, unlike last time, went the full three rounds, giving the players more opportunities to stand out. Miller was yet again a standout player for the team, shooting one over on the tournament and placing second overall. Caldwell also shot well, with a score of two over and getting himself tied for third place. Overall, the stronger individual performances helped guide the team to 3rd place out of 18.
Next up was the Northwest Iowa NAIA Invite in Le Mars where the Golf team faltered a bit. Like the previous tournament, this one also went for three rounds, and the team seemed to struggle a bit. Miller and Caldwell led the team the last couple invites, but this time they placed 3rd and 5th with Van Roekel leading the team and tying for 14th place individually. Greller has the second best score on the team, tying for 28th place individually. Overall, with everyone faltering a bit, the team ended up placing 8th out of 14.
Their most recent tournament was the NAIA National Fall Preview in Silvis, Illinois. Once again they played three rounds of golf and seemed to return to their earlier form. Miller bounced back and finished even in the tournament, netting himself second place individually in the tournament. Following this, Caldwell and Smith both tied for 17th place, and second best score on the team. These great performances were enough for the team to finish 3rd out of 21 teams.
Overall, the season has had its ups and downs, with more ups than downs thankfully. Miller continues to be a standout on the team and is supported by many great players like Caldwell, Smith, Van Roeker, and Greller. It should be exciting as we look forward towards the upcoming Kirkwood Invite in Amana, Iowa on October 13th, as we see how the team continues to play.
