Marquette Wins Second Straight, Claims Windon Memorial Classic

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Four birdies and an eagle from Marquette's lineup on the Par 5 16th hole at The Knollwood Club, combined with a birdie on the Par 4 18th from freshman Tyler Leach lifted the Golden Eagles to their second straight win with a 4-under-par 860 at the Windon Memorial Classic, hosted by Northwestern.

Oliver Farrell's 7-under-par tournament score (69-69-71—209) was good for a third place finish, while Leach finished in a tie 12th with an even par 216 (70-75-71). Last season's scoring leader, Hunter Eichhorn, finished tied for 20th on the strength of a 4-under-par round Monday - he went 2-over-par for the tournament (77-73-68—218).

The victory was Marquette's second in three events this season and its first in the 22 years of Northwestern's annual fall event. The Golden Eagles used back-to-back sub par team rounds to finish the tournament (291-285-284), including a 4-under-par day on Monday to claim a two-stroke victory over Michigan State.

Marquette was the clubhouse leader and tied with the Spartans - among counted scores, MU was 1-under-par as a team on the final three holes while Michigan State finished 2-over-par. MSU is part of the 11-team field for the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills, which begins this Sunday.

After going six events without a top-10 finish to close out last season, Farrell already has two in three starts this year. He finished the tournament with a 5-under-par total score on Par 4 holes to lead the field, while his 13 total birdies were tied for fourth-most. Farrell was four strokes behind medalist Thomas Hutchison of UC Davis (11-under-par) - he and the Aggies are also part of next weekend's Marquette Intercollegiate field.

Leach, who was last year's WIAA Division 2 state champion at Spring Valley High School, cracked the top 20 for the second straight week after a strong finish - he was 1-over-par in his final round through 15 holes before making birdies on two of the last three to get back to under for the day, and putting Marquette in position to win. Leach's 39 par makes were second-most in the field during the tournament.

Eichhorn struggled to a 6-over-par start through 36 holes, but his 4-under-par, bogey-free final round was part of the difference on Monday. Three of his four birdies came on the back nine, where Marquette went 2-under-par as a team on counted scores.

Marquette welcomes 10 teams to its annual fall event, the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills. Play at the site of the 117th U.S. Open Championship begins Sunday (Sept. 30) and lasts through Tuesday (Oct. 2). Admission is free to the three-day event.