Michigan
Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational
Wolverines Finish Sixth at Prestigious Texas Tournament
3/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
LAKEWAY, Texas -- The University of Michigan women's golf team used a final round 317 today (Tuesday, March 25) to jump one position to sixth and finish in the top half of the prestigious field at the Betsy Rawls/Longhorn Invitational at The Hills Country Club with a 959 total in the three-day, 54-hole tournament.
| | Olin's team-low 76 on the final day helped U-M match its best round of the event. |
Senior Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) made it back-to-back tournaments leading the Wolverines as she tied for 11th with a 231 54-hole total. Benedict carded a three-over 75 in the first round after a pair of birdies helped a few miscues during the round. She then followed with a five-over 77, with three birdies, and a final-round 79, again with three birdies, to help her garner her fourth top-20 finish of the season.
Sophomore Laura Olin (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) opened with rounds of 81 and 80 but found her grove in the final round, firing a four-over 76 which included three birdies to finish with a 237 54-hole total and a tie for 20th place, her seventh top-20 finish this season. Freshman Amy Schmucker (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) tied for 33rd with a 245 total (79-86-80).
Other Michigan scores included: fifth-year senior Stephanie Stasik (Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS), tie for 51st (82-85-88/255), and junior/sophomore Courtney Goebel (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS), tie for 59th (92-83-82/257). Freshman Brandi Zielinski (Sylvania, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), who competed as an individual while playing in just her second collegiate tournament, was 65th (84-96-85/265).
Oklahoma State took the lead after the first day and never let it go, winning by six strokes with an 896 total after rounds of 295, 305 and 296. Host Texas finished second at 902 (297-307-298) and Ohio State was third at 931 (306-325-300). After firing a five-under 67 in the first round, Texas' Jessica Reese took full control of the medalist honor, winning by 12 strokes with her 212 total (67-72-73). Fellow Longhorn Devan Andersen (75-75-74) and Ohio State's Kristen White (79-76-69) tied as the runner-up with 224 totals.
Michigan heads back into Big Ten country Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6, to defend its 2002 team title at the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. The 54-hole tournament will be held at the IU Golf Course.
Team Standings
1. Oklahoma State 295-305-296 = 896 (+8) 2. Texas 297-307-298 = 902 3. Ohio State 306-325-300 = 931 4. Oklahoma 312-323-301 = 936 5. Texas A&M 316-323-319 = 958 6. MICHIGAN 317-325-317 = 959 7. Arkansas 317-328-316 = 961 UNLV 321-320-320 = 961 9. Michigan State 323-326-315 = 964 10. Northwestern 332-331-325 = 988 11. Southern Methodist 323-344-325 = 991 12. Kansas 333-345-335 = 1013
Top Individuals
1. Jessica Reese, Texas 67-72-73 = 212 (-4) 2. Devan Andersen, Texas 75-75-74 = 224 Kristen White, Ohio State 79-76-69 = 224 4. Amparo Gala, Oklahoma 74-81-70 = 225 5. Karin Sjodin, Okla. State 76-78-72 = 226 6. Annie Thurman, Okla. State 73-80-74 = 227 7. Christi Cano, Okla. State 71-82-75 = 228 8. Jennifer Karr, Okla. State 75-73-82 = 230 Allison Hanna, Ohio State 77-81-72 = 230 Linda Wessberg, Okla. State 81-74-75 = 230 11. KIM BENEDICT, U-M 75-77-79 = 231 Lindsay Knowlton, Ohio State 73-81-77 = 231
Other Michigan Individuals
T20. Laura Olin 81-80-76 = 237 T33. Amy Schmucker 79-86-80 = 245 T51. Stephanie Stasik 82-85-88 = 255 T59. Courtney Goebel 92-83-82 = 257 65. Brandi Zielinski* 84-96-85 = 265 * played as an individual
N O T E S
Kim Benedict led the Wolverines with eight birdies in the invitational. Laura Olin was second with six, Amy Schmucker and Brandi Zielinski, who played as an individual, had three, Courtney Goebel had two and Stephanie Stasik had one.
Benedict extended her consecutive tournament streak to 46; she has not missed a single tournament in her four-year career. Olin extended her streak to 21 straight tournaments for the Wolverines. Schmucker and Stasik, along with Benedict and Olin, have played in all nine tournaments this season. Brandi Zielinski competed in just her second collegiate tournament.
Brandi Zielinski competed in just her second collegiate tournament.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the tournament finish ... "I am satisfied, yet at the same time I still think we still need to push forward. We need to finish. We started off decent on the first day, but still made some mistakes and the second day was just not what it should have been. Today it just seemed like it started off going a little bit better and it turned out to be another decent round. We just keep making some silly mistakes that cost us. If we can learn from some of those mistakes and move on we can be a very successful team. Not to say that we didn't have a good tournament. I saw some really good things from some of our players, but we still need to just get a little more ... just a little more. We beat some teams here, but we also need to get ahead of some others ... we are a bubble team to make it to the NCAAs. We just need to keep striding forward and learning as we go. We can be worried about too many things. We need to play our games and things will happen for us."
Senior Kim Benedict
On the team's sixth-place finish ... "This is a huge tournament and there are a bunch of really, really good teams here. So, I think we played well considering some people didn't play as well as they could have. We still came out in sixth place and that is not bad. Being there just shows you that if we were all really on, we could have been right up there."
On her tournament play ... "As far as my tournament, I have been hitting the ball well recently. I had a lesson before we left so I had good swing thoughts going into the weekend. The first round I played well. The second round was very windy, so I was happy with a 77. That wasn't bad. Today, I just wasn't hitting the ball well. I just wasn't executing my swing thoughts as well as I should have and was hitting it right and left. I had a few bumps in a row, but I still had enough good shots to keep me in it. I am proud of myself. I thought I played alright and this is a good tournament which makes it even better."
On competing with some of the top programs in the country ... "I think sometimes ignorance is bliss. The more you don't look at the scoreboard, the more you don't know how good some teams are doing. Knowing that sometimes the better off you are going to do. I think for some people on the team that was it. They were concerned about themselves and how they were playing the golf course ... not looking at what others are doing. They don't care what other people are doing. With that in mind we did well. We just need a few things to happen right and we can be right there."
Sophomore Laura Olin
On the team's tournament performance ... "Hopefully this tournament will give our team a boost. The fact that we can compete and did compete with them knowing we didn't play fully to our potential is a real upswing for us."
On her early round struggles ... "Honestly I have been contemplating that myself. I am just not starting well and that has been the whole thing. Part of my problem is that I am starting off with a high number and then having to come back from it. That is probably one of the hardest things in golf to do. I don't know whether or not I am not hitting enough balls, getting properly mentally prepared or what. I just don't know what it is, but I need to figure it out, which I know I can do."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
