2005-06 GFM at Hawkeye Intercollegiate -- Notes & Quotes
9/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Q U O T E S
Michigan Coach Andrew Sapp
On the final day of the tournament ... "There are some positives that we can take away from this tournament. We had some good scores throughout all three rounds. It was really, really great to see Bill (Rankin) play so well in his first tournament. He really closed it out today to help us with his 71. Also, to see Brandon (Duff) finish the tournament under par is just great. He really had to grind it out the final nine holes today, but he kept us in it."
On his thoughts of the Hawkeye Invitational ... "It's definitely a good thing to play in the final group in the final round. We had some good things happen for us and some good early experiences. We just need to make sure we can learn from some of our mistakes and move forward and up in tournaments instead of moving back. We will definitely grow from this. There are a lot of good signs from us this weekend."
On playing right away in conjunction with the start of school ... "I think it was a bit of an advantage for us. The guys have been playing throughout the summer, so to come in right away and get right into it probably helped. The only difficult part was we were able to practice as a team. With two weeks to go before hosting our next tournament, we can get some good quality team practices on our course. We have some good teams coming in and we need make sure we take advantage of playing well on our course. We have not played well on our course the last couple of years. We need to make sure we take advantage of that."
Senior Brandon Duff
On his tournament ... "I've been playing pretty well all summer long. I just tried to set goals and then achieve them each time I go to a tournament. I set the goal of finishing this tournament under par and I was able to do that."
On if he was happy to get back into the lineup ... "Definitely. It feels good to get back out there. I am older now, so I know what to do when I get out there and how to adjust with things. But it was good to see us do well."
On looking ahead ... "We had a lot of positive things happen to build off of. We have our own tournament in a couple of weeks and we're excited for that. I really feel this is going to be a year that we are going to player better and do well."
Freshman Bill Rankin
On his first collegiate tournament ... "Coming into it, I would have to say it felt kind of routine. Getting into the van and driving to the tournament felt like high school. But I knew this would be a little different because there were going to be so many good players competing. So, I just tried to get out there and play like I know I can. Things are going really fast for me at the moment, but I am just keeping my ears open and absorbing as much as I can. I have learned so much in this first week already."
On if he had any goals for this first tournament ... "I always have high expectations. I just wanted to do whatever I could do to contribute to the team."
On if there was any one moment that stuck out in his mind at his first tournament ... "I would have to say on the first tee today (in the final round). I am just a freshman and I was playing with two older, experienced players. We were kind of seeing who would tee off first and no one was really making a move. So, I knew we needed to play well so I just stepped up and teed my ball up and went for it. I knew I needed to try and make a statement that I was here to play."
N O T E S
Michigan's third place finish at the 2005 Hawkeye Intercollegiate is the best in two seasons. The Maize and Blue finished third at the Furman Intercollegiate (March 26-28, 2004) in the 2003-04 season.
Michigan's 869 (289-288/292) Hawkeye Intercollegiate total is the lowest for the Maize and Blue since the 2001-02 season, when U-M had a 54-hole total of 863 (285-284-294) at the 2001 Xavier Invitational (Oct. 8-9).
For the second straight season, Michigan has had a freshman finish in the top 10 in their first collegiate tournament. At the Hawkeye Intercollegiate, Bill Rankin tied for 10th with a 217 total. Last year, Brian Ottenweller tied for ninth with a 217 total in his first collegiate tournament -- the Michigan/Radrick Frams Intercollegiate.
Bill Rankin competed in his first collegiate tournament. He closed our his first career tournament tying for 10th with a 217 total after round of 74, even-par 72 and a career-best one-under 71.
Brandon Duff set a new career-best single round total with his first round of two-under 70 at the Hawkeye Intercollegiate. His previous best round total was a one-under 71 in the second round of the Alister MacKenzie Invitational (Oct. 3, 2004). Duff also closed out the Hawkeye Intercollegiate with a one-under 71.
Brandon Duff set a new career-best 54-hole tournament total with his one-under 215 performance at the Hawkeye Intercollegiate. His previous best was a 220 total at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 20-21, 2003). In addition, his tie for seventh finish at the Hawkeye was a career-best and marked the first time he cracked the top 10 in a tournament. His previous best was a tie for 19th at the 2003 Northern.
