PALM COAST, FL – Northwestern opened its spring season over the weekend with a second-place performance in Big Ten Match Play. After defeating Rutgers and Maryland each 3-2 on Friday, the Wildcats won a 2-2 tiebreaker over Minnesota Saturday by virtue of margin of victory. NU then went to the championship match, eventually falling to Michigan by one.
The Wildcats were led by David Nyfjäll, who was undefeated in the matches with a 4-0 record. The graduate student from Sweden kicked off his weekend with 3-and-2 and 1-up wins over the Scarlet Knights and Terrapins, respectively, before earning a dominant 4-and-2 win over the Golden Gophers’ Lincoln Johnson. The four-stroke win made all the difference in splitting the ‘Cats’ tie with Minnesota and advancing them to the championship. In his finale, Nyfjäll was tied after the 16th hole, but came out on top for a 2-up victory after winning each of the last two holes.
First-year Daniel Svärd also performed strongly, going 3-0-1 in his four matches. Svärd claimed a pair of 1-up victories in his first two appearances before falling behind early against the Gophers. Despite trailing from the seventh hole on and by as many as two points after the 15th, Svärd rallied by winning two of his last three holes. The comeback helped Northwestern tie Minnesota, 2-2, and the Wildcats won the tiebreaker to reach the finals. The rookie then followed up his come-from-behind tie with another comeback, this time for a 2-up win over Michigan. Svärd trailed by two after the 14th hole, but won his final four holes to clinch his third victory of the weekend.
Northwestern will be back in action from Feb. 20-22, as the Wildcats head to La Quinta, California to face off in The Prestige.
Big Ten Match Play Championship
Friday, Feb. 3
No. 1 Northwestern defeats No. 6 Rutgers
Xavier Marcoux (RU) defeated James Imai (NU), 1-up
David Nyfjäll (NU) defeated Luke Wells (RU), 3-and-2
Cameron Adam (NU) defeated Weston Jones (RU), 3-and-1
Daniel Svärd (NU) defeated James Newton (RU), 1-up
Noah Kumar (RU) defeated John Driscoll III (NU), 1-up
Quarterfinals: No. 1 Northwestern defeats No. 9 Maryland
James Imai (NU) defeated Will Koras (UMD), 6-and-5
David Nyfjäll (NU) defeated Will Celiberti (UMD), 1-up
Ronnie Kim (UMD) defeated Cameron Adam (NU), 5-and-3
Daniel Svärd (NU) defeated Dillon…
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