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2009-10 Season Review:

The Northwestern College men’s golf team experienced great success during the 2009-10 season. As a team, the Red Raiders finished fourth in the conference race and registered the best scoring average (315.2) since the 2006-07 season. The youthful Raiders, with five freshmen and sophomores in their top seven, finished in the top five in Teamseven events, taking home both the Briar Cliff and Doane Invite championships. “Although we were a young team, we competed well from day one,” commented head coach Mark Bloemendaal. “Our younger players had success because they had been in competitive situations in high school, and they spurred each other on by working diligently throughout the season”  Individually, senior Luke Vermeer (Sioux Center, Iowa) became the first Red Raider to earn All-American honors after tying for 26th at the four-day, 72-hole NAIA men’s golf championship. Vermeer, who captured his second GPAC championship last spring, was named the conference player of the year for the second time in his career. “Luke was an outstanding leader of this young team. His playing ability was only a small part of what he did for us. He made every player want to become better, even those that didn’t get to play in very many meets. He will be missed a great deal”.

The Raiders, with several newcomers in the line-up, opened the season with one top-five finish in three events, placing third out of seven teams at the Morningside Fall Invite. “We used the early part of the season to determine our best team as we prepared for the GPAC qualifiers,” said Bloemendaal. “Having 8-9 people capable of winning positions allowed for some competitive practices as players battled to win a top five position for the conference meets.”  Gaining valuable experience to the collegiate game, the Raiders next posted their best score of the season (296) and tied for third after the first round of the GPAC qualifier. Vermeer led the way with an even-par 71 and tied for third place. “Luke was certainly one of the favorites to lead the conference, but you still have to make it happen on the days of those meets. He proved that he was ready to contend for the conference championship”

Coach Bloemendaal’s squad built upon its performance at the conference meet with back-to-back first place finishes at the Briar Cliff and Doane events. Vermeer once again led the way with a second place finish in Sioux City and winning the Doane Invite, the first of four medalist honors for Vermeer throughout the season. The Raiders closed the fall season with a fifth place showing in the second round of the GPAC qualifier and stood in fourth place overall with two rounds to play. Vermeer, however, moved into second place overall, just five shots in back of the leader. “The weather was brutal for GPAC #2 and our teams’ inexperience showed some at this meet. Luke showed his maturity and battled through the elements to remain in a great position coming in to the final two events,” said Bloemendaal.

LukeThe spring season opened with a third place showing at the 36-hole Coyote Invitational, an event featuring teams from NCAA D-II and the only tune-up before the third round of the GPAC qualifier. The Raiders placed third as a team at the GPAC qualifier and Vermeer moved into first place overall with an even-par 71, six strokes in front of the second place golfer. “Luke basically won the GPAC individual title at this meet. He picked up 11 strokes on the leader and went into GPAC #4 needing to play a solid round to make it official.” Northwestern followed with a fifth place finish at the 22-team Buena Vista Invitational, the largest event of the year. In the final event prior to the GPAC fourth round, Northwestern finished second in the 14-team Dana Invite, carding its second best score of the year (298). Vermeer earned medalist honors and was named GPAC player of the week for the third straight week.

In the final round of the GPAC qualifier, Northwestern tied for third and finished in a solid fourth place overall. Vermeer held on and captured the GPAC individual championship by five shots, the second conference title of his career. He also earned golfer of the year honors and qualified for the NAIA national championship.  Playing at the TPC at Deere Run Golf Course in Silvis, Ill., Vermeer  opened with a three-over 74, followed by a one-over 72 , putting him in great position to qualify for the final round. He then shot a 79 in a rainy and windy third round but managed to qualify for the finals, where he shot another 74 to finish +15 and tied for 26th place. Vermeer became the first Red Raider golfer to earn All-American honors, earning second team accolades.

Vermeer finished his senior year with a 74.4 scoring average, the best mark in the program’s history (breaking his own record of 74.5 set in 2007-08). He closes his career with Lukethe best career scoring average of 75.26. “Luke is an outstanding golfer. His game is complete and he is deserving of his All-American recognition. He has set a new standard for Northwestern golf, one that will raise the expectations for the younger players on the team.” Hans Vander Plaats (Hinton, Iowa), the Hansonly other senior on the squad, earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors for the second straight year and closed his career with an 86.27 scoring average. Sophomore Ross Kiewiet (Grundy Center, Iowa) ranked second on the team with an 80.0 scoring average, placing in the top 10 in one event. Two freshmen, Michael Dykema (Bellflower, Calif.) and Michael Clark (Spencer, Iowa), ranked third and fourth on the team with 80.3 and 80.7 scoring averages.