Weekly Release #12
4/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., May 2-4 -- at Big Ten Conference Championships (Bloomington, Ind.)
Next on the Tee: Big Ten Championships
The University of Michigan men's golf team will swing into the championship portion of its schedule, as the Wolverines will travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the 2003 Big Ten Conference Championships Friday through Sunday (May 2-4) at the IU Golf Course. The IU Golf Course will be set up for a par of 71 and 6,942 yards. The 72-hole tournament will consist of 36 holes Friday (May 2, 8 a.m. EST/CDT), 18 on Saturday (May 3, 9 a.m.) and a final round on Sunday (May 4, 8 a.m.).
Big Ten Championships Teams
All 11 Big Ten Conference teams will participate in the 2003 Big Ten Championships. The 11 schools, eight of which are in the top 100 of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, include: No. 25 Illinois, No. 95 Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, No. 52 Michigan State, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 22 Northwestern, No. 64 Ohio State, No. 78 Penn State, No. 66 Purdue and Wisconsin.
Big Ten Championships Schedule
The Big Ten Championships will consist of 72 holes, with 36 holes Friday (May 2) and then 18 Saturday (May 3) and a final 18 on Sunday (May 4).
| Thursday, May 1 | Practice Round | Tee times throughout the day |
| Friday, May 2 | First Round | 8:00 a.m. EST/CDT (tee times) |
| | Second Round | 1:00 p.m. EST/CDT (tee times) |
| Saturday, May 3 | Third Round | 9:00 a.m. EST/CDT (tee times) |
| Sunday, May 4 | Final Round | 8:00 a.m. EST/CDT (tee times) |
Big Ten Championships Scoring
Team scores shall be determined by adding the low four scores of each team for each round. A team shall consist of no more than five players per institution. Ties in a team or individual competition after 72 holes at the championship shall stand.
Following the Big Ten Championships
Live stats will be available throughout the Big Ten Championships at Indiana's website -- iuhoosiers.com or through Golfstat's website.
Michigan's Big Ten Championships Lineup
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Big Ten Championships. The Maize and Blue lineup will be headed up by junior Dave Nichols (Mesa, Ariz./Rochester Adams HS, Mich.), redshirt freshman Mark McIntosh (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord HS) and senior/junior Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS). Junior/sophomore Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) and freshman Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills School) round out the championships squad.
Last Time Playing at the IU Golf Course
In the fall season Big Ten preview, Michigan finished 13th at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29) at the IU Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind. The Maize and Blue opened with team totals of 291 and 292 but followed with a 298 in the third round for a 54-hole team total of 881. Mark McIntosh led the Wolverines as he tied for 43rd with a career-best 54-hole total of 220 (74-76-70). In his first collegiate tournament, freshman Christian Vozza (Traverse City, Mich./Grand Rapids Baptist HS) tied for 47th (72-73-76/221) as did Rob Tighe (75-74-72/221). Dave Nichols tied for 60th (70-73-80-223) and Scott Carlton was 80th at 228 (75-72-81).
Last Year at the Big Ten Championships: U-M Finishes Eighth
Michigan finished eighth at the 2002 Big Ten Conference Championships (May 3-5, 2002) at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. The Wolverines finished with a 1,170 72-hole total after tallying rounds of 294, 298, 294 and 298. Former Wolverine Andy Matthews (1999-2002) led the way for the Wolverines with a fifth-place finish after a three-under 285 championships total (72-69-70-74). Kyle Kilcherman (1999-2002) tied for 13th (73-71-73-74/288), Scott Carlton was 35th (74-71-77-75/297), Dave Nichols was 43rd (75-73-74-79/301) and Andrew Chapman (1999-2002) was 55th (78-78-78-75/309).
Michigan and Big Tens
In the 83 years of the Big Ten Championships, Michigan has been one of the leaders and best as it has claimed 12 team titles and 15 medalist honors. The dozen team trophies tie U-M with Purdue for the second most conference crowns, trailing Ohio State's 22. The Wolverines' 15 individual trophies rank second all-time, only two behind Ohio State's 17. Michigan's John Fischer (1932-35) holds the Big Ten record for most medalist titles with three -- 1932, 1933 and 1935.
Big Ten Titles
U-M Team Titles
1932-33-34-35-36-42-43-44-46-47-49-52
U-M Medalists
1999 -- Michael Harris, 278 total (co-champion)
1997 -- Kyle Dobbs, 287 total
1980 -- John Morse, 288 total
1970 -- Randy Erskine, 302 total
1965 -- Bill Newton, 287 total
1949 -- Ed Schalon, 297 total (co-champion)
1947 -- Ed Schalon, 297 total (co-champion)
1944 -- John Jenswold, 153 total
1943 -- Ben Smith, 311 total (co-champion)
1936 -- Charles Kocsis, 286 total
1935 -- John Fischer, 281 total
1934 -- Charles Kocsis, 283 total
1933 -- John Fischer, 301 total
1932 -- John Fischer, 303 total
1924 -- M.J. Holdsworth, 3 & 1*
* 72-hole match play
Last Time on the Links: Wolverines Finish 14th at MSU to Close Regular Season
The Wolverines finished 14th at the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational (April 26-27) at Forest Akers West Course in East Lansing, Mich. The Maize and Blue finished with a 918 team total after tallying team totals of 311, 300 and 307. Rob Tighe led all weekend long as he recorded the third best 54-hole tournament tally of his career, finishing with a 222 total. After opening with a 76, he followed with an even-par 72 in the second round and closed with a 74 to tie for 21st. It marked the third time this season that Tighe was the top-finishing Wolverine. Mark McIntosh tied for 62nd (88-73-73/234), Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury tied for 65th (74-78-84/236), Scott Carlton tied for 69th with a 237 total (79-77-81), while Dave Nichols finished 73rd with a 242 total (82-81-79).
First for the Coach
Michigan coach Andrew Sapp will make his first trip to the Big Ten Championships as a head coach. Prior to coming to Michigan, Sapp was an assistant coach at Purdue for both the men's and women's programs for four years (1999-2002). Sapp helped the Boilermaker men's program to the championship in 2000 and a runner-up finish in 2002, and the women's to place second in 2000 and 2001.
Wolverines Have Only Two Veterans
After graduating three seniors last year, the Wolverines have only two players with Big Ten Championships experience -- Scott Carlton and Dave Nichols. Both played in their first conference championships last year as Carlton was 35th (74-71-77-75/297) and Nichols was 43rd (75-73-74-79/301).
Logging the Hours
Dave Nichols, Mark McIntosh and Rob Tighe are the only Wolverines this season to play in all 11 tournaments. Nichols is first on the team with a 76.12 scoring average (minimum 10 rounds), while McIntosh is second (76.78) and Tighe is third (77.27).
Rotation Finds a Match
In the 11 tournaments this season, the Wolverines had nine different lineups. However in the last two regular-season tournaments and for the 2003 Big Ten Championships, the Wolverines have stayed with the same five players -- Dave Nichols, Mark McIntosh, Rob Tighe, Scott Carlton and Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury. In the last two tournaments, the fivesome has averaged 309.83 as a team.
Nichols Continues to Lead Wolverines
Dave Nichols continues to make strides in his junior season after finishing as the top Wolverine in five of the 11 tournaments this season. He is second overall and first among the U-M regulars with a 76.12 scoring average. So far this season Nichols has rewritten several career-best marks. His 54-hole total of 216 at the Landfall Tradition (Nov. 1-3) was a career best by two strokes. Nichols' first- and third-round scores of one-under 71 at the Landfall Tradition were the third and fourth times this season he has broken par for 18 holes. He had a one-under 70 in the first round at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29) and a career-best two-under 69 in the first round of the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6).
Always Around
Mark McIntosh has made the most of his first true season with the Wolverines. After redshirting last season, McIntosh has played in all 11 tournaments this season. He is third on the team with a 76.78 scoring average and has continued to be one of the more consistent Wolverines. He fired a career-best two-under 70 twice this season, in the third round of the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29) and the second round at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6). His 220 total at the Northern Intercollegiate also was a career-best 54-hole tournament total, and his tie for 22nd at the Johnny Owens Invitational (March 29-30) was a career-best finish.
Tighe Comes to Form
After only playing in two tournaments last year, Rob Tighe has played in all 11 events this season. His second-round score of one-under 70 at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6) set a new career best, topping the 72 he fired in the final round of the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29). In addition, his 217 54-hole total at the Wolverine was also a career best, topping the 223 he had at the Ridges (Sept. 28-29). For the year, he is averaging 77.27 per round.
Carlton Back in the Mix
At the Coastal Carolina Invitational (March 10-11), Scott Carlton made his first appearance in the Wolverine lineup since playing in the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6). Since then, he has been a regular in the Maize and Blue lineup. He had a season-best 228 at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29) and has fired a season-best 72 two times -- second round of the Northern and the final round of the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6). For the season he is averaging 77.75 strokes per round.
Coming on Strong
Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury has made a late-season charge as he has played in the last four events for the Wolverines. At the Johnny Owens Invitational (March 29-30) Svechota-Kingsbury had a career-best placing as he tied for 39th. He fired a career-best 72 in the second round of the El Diablo (March 15-16) and has had a career-best 236 54-hole total twice -- at the Johnny Owens and the Ridges (Sept. 14-15). He has played in six career tournaments and is averaging 79.23 per round.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
