March 2, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior David Merkow (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Union) picked up his first Big Ten Conference Golfer of the Week honor on Thursday for his performance at the Puerto Rico Classic.
Playing in arguably the country's toughest regular-season tournament, with nine of the 18 teams entered in the nation's top 25, including the country's top four teams, Merkow placed seventh among a 90-player field with a 3-under-par 213. He carded rounds of 71, 70 and 72 to earn the top-10 finish.
In 18 rounds this year, he has had 13 rounds of par or better. In the fall season, Merkow captured the individual title against a strong field at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.
Northwestern is ranked 12th in latest golf coaches' poll and 17th in the Golfweek/Sagarin index.