May 9, 2004

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Northwestern's men's golf team was unable to gain any ground on Sunday and finished seventh at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, held at Michigan's U-M Golf Course (par 71, 6,704 yards). The Wildcats, who started the day in seventh place at 12-over, finished 19-over (292-288-291=871), along with the host Wolverines.

Ohio State, which held an eight-stroke lead over the two-time defending champion Minnesota Golden Gophers heading into the final round, won the tournament by five strokes over Illinois. Minnesota and Purdue finished third and fourth, respectively. OSU's Kevin Hall dominated the tournament, posting a 14-under 199 -- a 54-hole Big Ten Championship record -- to win the individual title by 11 strokes.

NU's Dillon Dougherty (Woodland, Calif./Woodland) finished with a 1-over 72 on Sunday and placed 10th at 1-over for the tournament (73-69-72=214). Senior Casey Strunk (Phoenix, Ariz./Thunderbird) rebounded from a tough Saturday to post one of the third round's best scores, a 1-under 70. He finished 12-over (76-79-70=225) for the tournament and in 43rd place.

Northwestern senior Tom Johnson (Sacramento, Calif./Del Campo), who earned his third career All-Big Ten honor (second team) on Sunday, finished 28th. He carded three rounds of 73 to finish 6-over (73-73-73=219).

Senior T.C. Ford (Covington, La./Mandeville), who was in eighth place with an even-par 142 after the first 36 holes, dropped back to 33rd with a 7-over 78 on Sunday. He finished 7-over (72-70-78=220) for the tournament.

Freshman David Merkow closed his first Big Ten tournament in the 47th spot. He was 13-over (74-76-76=226) for the 54 holes.

Northwestern will learn Monday whether or not it receives an eighth consecutive NCAA regional berth.

Stats and results are available for the tournament by linking to 2004 Big Ten Championships. Other tournament information can be found at Michigan Wolverines and Big Ten Men's Golf Championships.

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