Sept. 30, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern men?s golf gets set to host the 1999 Windon Memorial golf tournament. The Windon is considered by many to be one of the country?s premier collegiate golf tournaments. The 1999 Windon Memorial Classic will be held Sun.-Tue., Oct. 3-5, at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill. Oct. 4, the first round of competition, 36 holes will be played with the final 18 taking place on the fifth. A practice round is scheduled for Oct. 3.
The field for the 1999 Windon Memorial Classic, with last year?s NCAA finish in parenthesis, will be Northwestern (third), Washington (fourth), Minnesota (11th), Toledo (t-16th), Duke (t-18th), Kansas (22nd), Pepperdine, Southern California, Stanford, North Florida, Purdue, Kent State, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and the Swedish National Team. Twelve of the 15 teams in the field qualified for last year?s NCAA regionals with six advancing to the NCAA championships.
The 1999 Windon will include the 1998 and 1999 NCAA champions in Minnesota?s James McLean (1998) and Northwestern?s Luke Donald (1999). Last year as a sophomore, Donald won the individual crown, firing rounds of 73-68-72-71 for a four-under par 284. Donald was named 1999 NCAA Division I men?s golf player of the year and the two-time All-American qualified for the 1999 British Open this past summer. Donald also received an exemption to play in the Buick Challenge in Pine Mountain, Ga. The PGA Tour event is currently taking place at Callaway Gardens Resort. Along with Donald and McLean, five other All-Americans from last year that will be in attendance: Kent State?s Ben Curtis (second team), Washington?s Troy Kelly (third team), Duke?s Matt Krauss (honorable mention), Minnesota?s Martin LeMesurier (honorable mention) and Kansas?s Ryan Vermeer (honorable mention).
Conway Farms Golf Club, host of this year?s tournament, is a par 71, 6,733 yard course. Opened in 1991, the course was named by Golf Digest as one of the best new private courses in the nation. Conway Farms has played host to the 1996 Ping/Golfweek Preview, the 1997 NCAA Men?s Golf Championships and the 1998 USGA Junior Amateur. The tournament is open to the public and admission is free.