Sept. 14, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- With four starters returning from its 2006 Big Ten championship team, Northwestern's men's golf squad begins the 2006-07 season this weekend at the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn.
Northwestern Head Coach Pat Goss returns for his 11th season after guiding the 'Cats back to the NCAA Championships last year. This year's squad will be led by two seniors, 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year David Merkow (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Union) and 2006 Big Ten individual champion Chris Wilson (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman). Juniors Kyle Moore (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) and Dan Doyle (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) are also returning starters and have high expectations for the upcoming season.
Ranked 24th in Golfweek's preseason top-30, the Wildcats will find themselves facing some familiar foes at the Gopher Invitational. Big Ten rivals Minnesota (ranked No. 15), Michigan State, Ohio State and Indiana all will be competing, along with the Wildcats.
Besides the 'Cats, two other NCAA Championship teams will be in the field: the host Gophers and Lamar (ranked No. 20). Other teams in the field include: Stanford (ranked No. 21), Denver, Notre Dame, SMU and Georgia Southern.
Spring Hill Golf Club, the site of the Gopher Invitational, is a par-72 course that plays 7,020 yards from the championship tees. The teams will play 36 holes on Saturday, 18 on Sunday.
Live results for the 54-hole invitational can be found at Gopher Invitational.