April 29, 2005

EVANSTON, Ill. -- With the possibility of having 19 days off from competitive play before the Big Ten Championships, Northwestern has added this weekend's Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational to its schedule. NU made the decision following the cancellation of last weekend's Kepler Intercollegiate due to heavy rain and snow. It was called for the first time in the tournament's 36-year history.

NU was last in action in the final round of the high-powered Texas A&M Aggie Invitational on Sunday, April 17. The 'Cats finished in 11th place.

The 38th Annual Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational is hosted by Michigan State on Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. The tournament begins with 36 holes on Saturday and a final 18 on Sunday.

All 15 teams in the field are in the Midwest District, including six of the top 12 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. Michigan State is the top-ranked team in the tournament at No. 21 in the nation and second in the district. NU is No. 64 overall and 10th in the district.

The 'Cats are the fifth-highest rated team in the field. Other Big Ten teams in the tourney are: Minnesota (26), Indiana (54), Ohio State (73), Illinois (78), Wisconsin (85) and Michigan (122). Xavier, ranked 39th, is the only non-Big Ten team participating that is ranked ahead of NU.

"It's a huge weekend for us," says NU coach Pat Goss. "We need to finish ahead of several teams in order to get ourselves in the mix for an NCAA bid. If we don't fare well, our only option will be winning the Big Ten championship."

Indiana won last year's Fossum championship with an 880. Senior Jeff Overton of Indiana is back to defend his individual title. Overton ran away with the medalist honors closing with a 67 to finish at 6-under par 210, four strokes clear of the field.

Forest Akers West Golf Course has been recognized as one of the best public golf courses in Michigan, and Golf Digest has given it a four-star rating. The course will play 7,013 yards long and to a par of 72.

Live scoring and results are available for the tournament by linking to Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational. Other tournament information can be found at Michigan State Men's Golf.

Following this weekend's play, the 'Cats head to the Big Ten Championships next Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8 in Madison, Wisc. The 54-hole event will be played on the University of Wisconsin Golf Course-University Ridge.