Michigan
Inverness Intercollegiate
Hayes Wins Inverness Intercollegiate, U-M Ties for Ninth
9/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Senior Scott Hayes (Rochester Hills, Mich/Rochester HS) won medalist honors for the first time in his career as the University of Michigan men's golf team started the 2000-01 campaign with a tie for ninth place at the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational, which concluded Tuesday (Sept. 19) at the Inverness Club.
Against the strong, 13-team field that included four nationally ranked teams, the Wolverines shot rounds of 306-298-305 for an Invitational total of 909. The Maize and Blue tied with Fresno State (298-304-307).
But the battle between the Wolverines and the Bulldogs didn't stop there as Hayes and Fresno State sophomore Nick Watney battled for the Invitational title. Watney held a two-stroke lead after the first day, but Hayes fired a closing 70 to tie Watney. The medalist was determined by the first step of the scorecard playoff as Hayes' back-nine total of 34 was two shots better than Watney's 36. Hayes carded rounds of 71-72-70 for an even-par 213 total, while Watney shot 68-73-72.
The title marks the first in Hayes' career at Michigan. Hayes also extends the Michigan streak of at least one individual medalist honor to five straight years. In addition to the title, Hayes' 213 tournament total is also a career best, topping his 218 shot at the Mauna Kea Collegiate (Nov. 25-26, 1999).
The 15th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks held on for the Invitational title as they finished with an 876 team total after carding rounds of 292-285-299. No. 22 Oklahoma (306-296-294=896) and No. 16 Texas Christian (305-294-299=898) finished second and third, respectively.
As for the rest of the Wolverines, junior Andrew Chapman (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) finished 33rd after shooting rounds of 79-74-76 for a 229 total. Junior Andy Matthews (Ada, Mich./Forest Hill Central HS) finished 37th after firing rounds of 76-74-80 for a 230 total. Junior Kyle Kilcherman (Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City Central HS) was 54th (80-78-79=237) and senior Kevin Hinton (Port Huron, Mich./Northern HS) tied for 64th (81-81-82=244).
Michigan will only have three days off before it hosts the Wolverine North Invitational on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 23-24) at the U-M Golf Course. Saturday's first round is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.
Team Standings
1. South Carolina (#15) 292-285-299 = 876 2. Oklahoma (#22) 306-296-294 = 896 3. TCU (#16) 305-294-299 = 898 4. Kansas 300-290-309 = 899 5. Alabama-Birmingham 302-298-300 = 900 6. UCLA 297-300-304 = 901 7. Kent State (#13) 298-306-303 = 907 8. Colorado 300-299-309 = 908 9. MICHIGAN 306-298-305 = 909 Fresno State 298-304-307 = 909 11. Baylor 299-304-310 = 913 12. Toledo 308-307-300 = 915 13. Ohio State 311-310-303 = 924Top Individuals
1. SCOTT HAYES, U-M* 71-72-70 = 213 Nick Watney, FSU 68-73-72 = 213 3. Graeme McDowell, UAB 72-73-72 = 217 Johan Kok, USC 72-71-74 = 217 Kyle Thompson, USC 75-70-72 = 217 John Bloomfield, USC 72-71-74 = 217 * Won scorecard playoffOther Michigan Scores
33. Andrew Chapman 79-74-76 = 229 37. Andy Mathews 76-74-80 = 230 54. Kyle Kilcherman 80-78-79 = 237 T64. Kevin Hinton 81-81-82 = 244Q U O T E S
Senior Scott Hayes
On winning his first title ... "This means a ton to me. I cannot even begin to describe how this feels. This is my first individual tournament title in my career and to do it at one of the best venues in the world for a collegiate tournament and even professional tournament is very, very special."
On the battle with Fresno State's Nick Watney ... "What was weird was we ended up playing all 54 holes together. So we were both playing the No. 1 spot and we just took it round by round and hole by hole. We just battled back and forth the entire way. I give him a lot of credit; he is a great player."
On the team's performance ... "What people aren't going to see is that we moved up two spots. To do that on a course like this and with the field that we had says a lot about this team."
Coach Jim Carras
On Scott Hayes' performance ... "Without a doubt, I am very, very pleased for Scott. He's matured so much. Mentally, emotionally, he is on top of his game. I even noticed that when he got back here this year, his entire approach to the game has changed so much. He is totally serious. He has been practicing so hard and his course management has been raised to another level. He just plays so smart."
On the team's performance ... "I am not disappointed at all. We came close to accomplishing the goals I had set for the first tournament of the year and that bodes well for our guys. There are a lot of ifs but we won't dwell on those. We played one of the toughest courses in the country, with one of the strongest fields. To do that in the first tournament of the year and compete well I can only be happy. The field was just so strong."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
