Weekly Release #1

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., Sept. 10-11 -- at Hawkeye Intercollegiate (Iowa City, Iowa)
Sat-Sun., Sept. 24-25 -- host, Wolverine Intercollegiate (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

On the Tee: Head Back to the Course
After starting school Tuesday (Sept. 6), the University of Michigan men's golf team will waste no time getting started with the 2005-06 season as the Wolverines head to Iowa City, Iowa, for the 2005 Hawkeye Intercollegiate, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 10-11) at the Finkbine Golf Course. The 54-hole tournament will feature nine teams with 36 holes of competition on Saturday followed with a final 18 on Sunday. The Finkbine Golf Course will be set up for a par 72 and 7,039 yards.

The Tournament Field
The Hawkeye Intercollegiate features nine teams and will include: Ball State, Butler, Iowa, Loyola, Michigan, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, St. Ambrose and Western Illinois.

The Tournament Schedule
The Hawkeye Intercollegiate will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Saturday (Sept. 10) followed by 18 on Sunday (Sept. 11).

Friday, Sept. 9	Practice Round	Tee times throughout the day
Saturday, Sept. 10	First Round	8:30 a.m. CDT (shotgun)
	Second Round	Continuous play following first round
Friday, Sept. 11	Final Round	8:30 a.m. CDT (shotgun)

The Tournament Scoring Format
Scoring for the Hawkeye Intercollegiate will be five players, count the low four scores each round. There will not be live scoring for the tournament available.

The Last Time in Iowa City
Michigan has not played on the Finkbine Golf Course since the 2002 Big Ten Championships (May 3-5). The Wolverines had team rounds of 294-284-294-298 for an 1170 conference championship total, which was good for 8th. Former Wolverine Andy Matthews was the top finishing Wolverine as he was fifth with a 285 total (72-69-70-74).

The Michigan Lineup at the Hawkeye Intercollegiate
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Hawkeye Intercollegiate. With the first tournament qualifying continuing right up until the Maize and Blue head out to Iowa City, all 11 Wolverines will have a chance to crack the lineup. Looking to get into the first tournament's lineup could be: Fifth-senior Mark McIntosh (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord HS); Fifth-year senior Jimmy Wisinski (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS); senior Brandon Duff (Goodrich, Mich./Powers Catholic); senior Christian Vozza (Traverse City, Mich./Grand Rapids Baptist); junior Kevin Dore (Dundas, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's); junior Will Kendall (Gerrards Cross, England/Oundle School); junior Matt McLaughlin (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook HS); sophomore Brian Ottenweller (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central HS); sophomore Tim Schaetzel (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy); freshman Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) and freshman Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS).

Fall Schedule Offers Challenging Start
Wasting no time getting started, the Wolverines will look to gain experience, confidence and early challenges to begin the fall. The Maize and Blue open by heading to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Hawkeye Intercollegiate (Sept. 10-11) at the Finkbine Golf Course before hosting the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 24-25) at the U-M Golf Course. With the start of October, U-M heads to Cordova, Tenn., for the Memphis Intercollegiate (Oct. 3-4) at the Colonial Country Club. The following week, a trip of the west coast is on hand with the Alister MacKenzie Invitational (Oct. 10-11) at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif. The fall season will close with a trip to Concord, N.C., and UNC-Charlotte's 49er Collegiate Classic (Oct. 24-25) at the Cabarrus Country Club.

Look at My Summer Resume
Christian Vozza played a little golf this summer as he continued to work on his game going into his final season. All he did was post victories in the semifinal and championship match to win the 94th Michigan Amateur Championship (June 21-25) at Muskegon Country Club. Vozza, the No. 2 seed in the 64-player match play field after shooting 67-71/138 (-4) in the stroke-play qualifying, defeated Patrick Wilkes-Krier, a senior at Ball State, in the final, 5 and 4. Vozza started the round with a pair of bogeys but rebounded with birdies on seven of the next 12 holes to end the match after 14 holes. Earlier in the day Vozza edged Michigan State's Jimmy Chestnut in the semifinal round, 2 and 1.

What a Junior Season it Was
For the second straight year, Christian Vozza led the Wolverines in scoring average as he had a career-best 74.72 single round average. He finished as the top Wolverine in seven of the 11 events and fired a career-best six-under 66 in the final round of the Landfall Tradition (Oct. 29-31, 2004). In fact, Vozza, who started all 11 tournaments, finished the season positing four rounds under-70.

Returning to the Fold
After only losing Rob Tighe (11 starts) to graduation, the Wolverines Christian Vozza (11 starts), Kevin Dore (10 starts) and Brian Ottenweller (10 starts) are the only returning players to have competed in all 11 events last season. Matt McLaughlin (nine starts) and Tim Schaetzel (six starts) also return giving the Wolverines plenty of depth through the lineup. In 11 events last season, the Wolverines averaged 300.75 as a team per round, as they recorded 16 of 32 rounds below 300, with two team rounds in the red -- including a season-best 285 in the third round of the Landfall Tradition (Oct. 29-31, 2004).

Welcome Aboard!
For the 2005-06 season, the men's golf program welcome two newcomers to the roster in Bill Rankin and Nick Pumford. Both will be looked at making solid contributions in their first seasons for the Maize and Blue.

Rankin, a 2004 Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association Golf Super Team selection, was a four-year letterwinner at Traverse City Central (2001-05). A four-time Regional Dream Team selection (2001-04), he earned MIGCA All-State team honors in 2003 and honorable mention honors in 2002. A two-time medalist runner-up at his conference tournament, he was a four-time all-conference selection. As a senior he had 11 top five and 14 top 10 finishes in 16 total tournaments.

Pumford, a 2004 State of Michigan Mr. Golf candidate, was a four-time letterwinner at St. Charles Community High School. The three-time Division III All-State member finished in the top five in the Michigan state finals three years in a row, tallying a medalist runner-up finish in 2004 and a pair of fourth place finished in the 2002 and 2003. He was a 2004 Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association Golf Super Team selection. During his four year career he collected 11 titles in 30 high school competitions.

Take a Look at this Ranking
The U-M Golf Course was named the third best amongst college courses according to Golf Digest magazine's College Golf Guide in the September 2005 issue. The U-M Golf Course, which plays host to both men's and women's golf teams, was the highest-ranked of four Big Ten teams to make the list with a 59.12 rating. Wisconsin's University Ridge Golf Course (57.90) and Ohio State's Scarlet Course (57.02) chipped in at No. 6 and 7, respectively. Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (55.99) rounded out the Big Ten honorees, taking the 11th spot. Top accolades went to Oklahoma State's Karsten Creek (62.62) in Stillwater, Okla. Golf Digest based its course ratings upon design, shot value, resistance to scoring, aesthetics, condition, ambience, impressionability and bonus walking points.

Looking Ahead
The Wolverines next hit the links hosting the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 24-25). The 54-hole tournament will be played at the U-M Golf Course with 36 holes on Saturday and a final 18 on Sunday. Both days of competition will begin with 8:30 shotgun starts. The 15-team field includes: Ball State, Charlotte, Eastern Michigan, Furman, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Oregon State, Penn State, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, Wisconsin and Xavier. The U-M Golf Course will be set up for a par 71 with 6,704 yards.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423