Patrick Adler now has a leg up on Tiger Woods.
The senior picked up his first collegiate win at the Windon Memorial Classic at Conway Farms Golf Club Monday, shooting 11-under-par over 54 holes, including firing a career-low six-under 65 in the first round. When Woods competed in the same event in 1995, he had to settle for runner-up.
Adler, who won medalist honors by five strokes, becomes the first Golden Eagle to medal since former teammate Bhoom Sima-Aree won the 2023 Big East Individual Championship.
This marks Adler’s second first-place finish of the year after his home-away-from-home South of Ireland victory at Lahinch Golf Club in July.
This time he secured a victory at home on this side of the pond.
“It means a lot to me at Conway Farms, at home,” Adler said in a release from Marquette Athletics. “I’m really close to Northwestern and their coaching staff because I grew up around the program.
“To be able to win at Conway Farms where I played as a junior in some junior tournaments and won a high school event there, was super cool. Especially to some have my family and friends there was awesome having their support.”
The Winnetka, Illinois native’s 65 on Sunday included back-to-back eagles on holes 14 and 15 to go along with eight birdies. It is the lowest score for a Marquette golfer in competition since April 11, 2023.
Adler followed up his scorching start with two-under and three-under rounds, respectively, and he was one of two players to shoot under-par in all three rounds.
“Patrick’s win today was one of the best individual performances in Marquette’s history,” Bailey said in the release. “It’s tough to win a college event individually, and for him to get it done by five shots, against a field of this caliber, is very impressive.
“This win is a byproduct of all those early mornings and all those bricks he’s stacked over the last few years.”
Marquette finished second overall as a team, three shots short of team champions Arizona.
“I’m super proud of the way our team competed this week,” Bailey said. “We’ve placed a big emphasis on battling until the last putt falls. All five of our guys embraced that gritty attitude on a really tough golf course.”
This story was written by Trevor Hilson. He can be reached at [email protected] or @hilsontrevor on Twitter/X.
