Northwestern women’s golf coach Emily Fletcher was presented with this choice: Would she rather have her team win the Big Ten tournament or advance to match play in the NCAA Championships?
“I would take the thing we’ve never done before,” she replied.
Mission accomplished.
Fletcher’s team not only advanced to Tuesday’s match-play quarterfinals, the Wildcats enter as the No. 1 seed after finishing atop the 24-team leaderboard at 33-over par, eight clear of second-place Stanford.
The high scores reflect the awesome challenge of playing at Rich Harvest Farms, the long and wooded tract 50 miles west of the Loop, under windy conditions.
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“Some of those wind gusts had to be 30 miles per hour,” Fletcher said. “The golf course showed up all three days.”
The Wildcats will show up at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday for a quarterfinal match against eighth-seeded Kent State, which finished 55-over. The winners will move on to the semifinals Tuesday afternoon. Fourth-seeded Ohio State is the only other Big Ten team in the quarters.
NU thrived with a strong all-around performance, as all five players finished in the top 24.
Janet Mao was best at 8-over, good for 13th place. Sarah Cho finished at 13-over after taking an usual two-shot penalty. She hopped in a cart Sunday for a ride to the bathroom — a no-no because of the rule prohibiting transportation during a round.
“She should have known better,” Fletcher said. “Her easygoing, laid-back demeanor cost her this time. She’s a great kid and will continue to be a big part of our success.”
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein