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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 4/28/2024, Last updated: 4/29/2024
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Northwestern Wins Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships

Jay LaPrete

Final Results | Team Results (PDF) | Player Results (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time in 10 years, the Big Ten Conference has a new champion. After two close days, Northwestern pulled away on Sunday to capture the 2024 Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships title, presented by Old National Bank. The Wildcats claimed their ninth Big Ten crown, the first since 2006, and received the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.

It was a sunny day with temperatures reaching the low 80s that played to Northwestern’s favor as the team concluded the championships with a total of 863 (+23), beating out Illinois (878) by 15 shots and Purdue (886) by 23 strokes.

Northwestern’s Daniel Svärd won medalist honors for the second year in a row with a three-day total of 211 (+1). Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan was second at two-over par 212, while Northwestern’s James Imai and Michigan State's Ashton McCulloch tied for third place with five-over par 215. Purdue’s Herman Sekne, Ohio State’s Neal Shipley and Michigan State’s August Meekhof each carded 217 (+7) to share fifth place. All seven players earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Championships Team.

Purdue’s Sekne was recognized with the Big Ten’s Les Bolstad Award, given to the conference player with the lowest stroke average (70.269) during the 2023-24 season. Skene is the third Boilermaker to win the award, joining Lee Williamson (2002) and Pariya Junhasavasdikul (2007).

Designed as the first 18-hole golf course in central Ohio by renowned Scottish-born architect Donald Ross, Scioto Country Club later became the place where golf’s greatest player, Jack Nicklaus, learned the game. With the opening of the golf course in 1916, the Club quickly gained national stature as a pre-eminent facility and a decade later hosted the 1926 U.S. Open Championship won by golfing legend Bobby Jones. This started the rich tournament tradition that Scioto enjoys as one of only five golf courses in the United States to have hosted five different major championships.

The selection show for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship will air on Golf Channel on Wednesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. ET. Regionals will take place at six sites from May 13-15 and the national championships will be held May 24-29 in Carlsbad, Calif. at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

Les Bolstad Award

Herman Sekne, Purdue

All-Championship Team

Daniel Svärd, Northwestern

Jackson Buchanan, Illinois

James Imai, Northwestern

Ashton McCulloch, Michigan State

Herman Sekne, Purdue

Neal Shipley, Ohio State

August Meekhof, Michigan State