2003 GFW at Big Ten Championships -- Quotes
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Michigan Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the overall Michigan performance at Big Tens ... "I am very proud of our overall performance. It's awesome to see three of our players in the top 20. Laura (Olin), Kim (Benedict) and Amy (Schmucker) had very good weekends. I am proud of the way they hung in there this weekend and all season long. They should be commended. With having four inexperienced players in the Big Ten Championships, it was a pretty good finish for us."
On the Wolverines' sixth-place finish ... "You can look at a few strokes here and a few putts there and things could have been very different. I mean, we were only five shots away from a third-place finish. But you cannot do that, you cannot look at the what ifs. We just did not get off to a very good start (today) and it is very difficult for you to expect your three top players having to score. It is added pressure and we really didn't have anyone to really back them up. Throughout the entire tournament I thought that putting was the key to everyone's play and we didn't putt as well as we had hoped to as a team."
On the Big Ten being one the top conferences in the country ... "Look at the parity in the this conference. It has become so competitive. There were only 11 strokes separating third from 11th place. There is a lot of talent here. Ohio State is just so talented and they lived up to all of the expectations this weekend. But beyond them there are still a lot of good teams and this championship showed that."
Senior Kim Benedict
On Michigan's overall Big Ten performance ... "I think we needed to shoot better. I don't think anyone played exceptionally well and we didn't all fall apart on the same day, but we didn't all come together on the same day. We needed that to finish well here at the Big Tens. Things are just so close in this conference. If one team can put it together at the right time they can do well and make up a lot of shots. I think you saw some of that this weekend."
On her performance ... "I had much higher expectations seeing how I have had some success on this golf course. I know I could play this golf course better. The putter just wasn't working for me and I had a few errant shots that led me to some problems, but I was really happy with my 71 in the third round. I know I have better scores in me, that is why I am hoping we get a regional bid so we get another chance to play, and play better than we did this weekend."
Sophomore Laura Olin
On her overall thoughts on the Big Ten Championships ... "I think going into the tournament we would have been happy to finish in the top five. So, to finish sixth was good considering there were so few strokes separating the field. We were just four or five strokes away from finishing third. We could have had room for improvement. We missed a shot here or a putt there that we are hitting ourselves for now, but you just cannot do that. We just need to learn from this and go on."
On her Big Ten finish ... "I played very well the first two days, but my putter just let me down in the second half of the third round and all of today. I could not make a putt today to save my life. It was just such a struggle. But there really isn't anything you can do. I am very happy with my performance overall though. It was another learning experience for me."
Freshman Amy Schmucker
On her first Big Ten Championships ... "First of all, this tournament was a great experience. I probably had the most fun I have had at any tournament this year. It was a lot of excitement. Overall, personally, I went above and beyond my expectations. I had all four rounds in the 70s and that was huge for me. I think I kept my head in the game through the entire weekend and gutted it out hole for hole. It was just such a great learning experience for me."
On any freshman nerves ... "Yes, I was a little nervous going into the tournament. I practice really, really hard because I didn't want to feel that I was not prepared for this, but I will admit it was a little intimidating. It was a lot to handle for one weekend. But that is nothing I am not used to and I am definitely looking forward to next year. It was such a great learning experience."
On the Wolverines' performance ... "We were so close to doing so well. We were right there, but we just didn't hit some of the shots we needed to. Overall, I think we did well. I think everyone played well. It was just a solid all-around team effort which was really nice to see for a change."
