Weekly Release #4
10/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Upcoming Schedule
Sun-Tue., Oct. 15-17 -- at Oklahoma Intercollegiate (Edmond, Okla.)
Mon-Tue., Oct. 23-24 -- at 49er Collegiate Classic (Concord, N.C.)
On the Tee: Another Lengthy Course on Tap
The University of Michigan men's golf team will get ready for its second of three tournaments in a three week span as the Wolverines head to Edmond, Okla., Sunday through Tuesday (Oct. 15-17) for the 2006 Oklahoma Intercollegiate at the Oak Tree Golf Club. There will be eight teams among the field, playing 18 holes each day during the 54-hole tournament. The Oak Tree Golf Club will be set up for a par 71 and 7,417 yards, marking the second tournament the Wolverines will play with yardage above 7,300 yards.
The Tournament Field
The Oklahoma Intercollegiate features eight teams in the field, including: Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, SMU and Tulsa.
The Tournament Schedule
The Oklahoma Intercollegiate will consist of 54 holes, with 18 holes being played each day Friday through Sunday (Oct. 15-17).
| Date | Event | Time |
| Saturday, Oct. 14 | Practice Round | Tee times throughout day |
| Sunday, Oct. 15 | First Round | 8 a.m. CDT (tee times) |
| Monday, Oct. 16 | Second Round | 8 a.m. CDT (tee times) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 17 | Final Round | 8 a.m. CDT (tee times) |
The Tournament Scoring Format
Scoring for the Oklahoma Intercollegiate will be five players, count the low four scores each round.
The Michigan Lineup
The Wolverines will carry five players for the main Michigan squad at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate. After back-to-back top 10 finishes, junior Tim Schaetzel (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) has been granted exemption from qualifying and will start his 22nd career tournament in Oklahoma. The rest of the team are: senior Kevin Dore (Dundas, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's), sophomore Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS), sophomore Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) and freshman Billy McKay (Grand Blanc, Mich./David Leadbetter Golf Academy [Bradenton, Fla.]).
TOURNEY NO. 3: Schaetzel Earns Top-10 Spot at Wolf Run Intercollegiate
The Wolverines saw course conditions change, and the entire field's scores skyrocket, in the final round of the Wolf Run Intercollegiate at the Wolf Run Country Club in Zionsville, Ind. The Maize and Blue closed with an eighth place finish, with a 911 total after team rounds of 300, 299 and 312. Overall, team scores went up an average of 12.6 strokes per team round on the final day. Tim Schaetzel led the way for U-M, posting his second straight top-10 finish, tying for seventh with a 219 stroke total (74-70-75). Bill Rankin claimed his second straight tournament with a top-20 finish, finishing 18th with a 227 total (70-76-81). Other Wolverine placements included: Kevin Dore, tied for 31st with a 232 total (81-77-74); Brian Ottenweller, tied for 42nd with a 237 total (79-76-82) and Nick Pumford, 51st with a 240 total (77-81-82) in his first collegiate start. Billy McKay played as an individual, tying for 20th with a 229 total (77-76-76).
Here Comes Another Lengthy Yardage Book
For the second time this season, Michigan will play a tournament with a course yardage going beyond 7,300 yards. Michigan opened the season by playing a 7,345 yard track at the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate (Sept. 9-10). This week, the Wolverines will play 7,417 yards at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate at Oak Tree Golf Club. Last season, the longest tournament yardage the Wolverines faced was 7,249 yards at the Memphis Intercollegiate (Oct. 3-4, 2005).
The Staple of the Lineup
With the start at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Oct. 7-8), Tim Schaetzel has started the last 19 tournaments for the Maize and Blue. His streak extends three seasons, after starting the final four tournaments of the 2004-05 season, all 12 last season and all three this season. In 22 career tournaments, he has 21 starts. Schaetzel leads U-M with a 74.11 scoring average this season.
Finding His Groove
Tim Schaetzel would be the first to tell you he's finding his rhythm on the golf course. After posting a tie for 30th finish at the season-opening Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate (Sept. 9-10), closing with back-to-back 79s, Schaetzel has not posted a single round tally below 75 in his last two events while earning back-to-back top 10 finishes. During this run, he also fired a season-best two-under 69 in the first round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17).
Rolling, Rolling, Rolling in Red Numbers
After not getting a red number in the first tournament, Michigan posted nine rounds par or better at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17). The Wolverines added two more at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Oct. 7-8), giving them 11 total on the season with five rounds under 70. For the season, the Maize and Blue are averaging 301.44 strokes per round as a team. In the 12 regular season tournaments last season, the Wolverines tallied 42 total rounds of par or better -- 31 rounds were under par, 17 of which hit less than the 70-stroke mark.
Rankin Gets Second Top 20 Finish
With Bill Rankin finishing 18th individually at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, the sophomore has posted back-to-back top-20 finishes for the Wolverines. Two weeks ago, he tied for 17th at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17) in Ann Arbor. So far this season, Rankin has started all three tournaments, and is averaging a career-best 75.67 strokes per round. He fired a career-best three-under 68 in the final round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate.
McKay Gets Solid Finish in Second Career Event
Playing as an individual, Billy McKay earned his first career top-20 finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, tying for 20th with a 229 54-hole total. He opened with a 77, following with back-to-back rounds of 76. Two weeks ago, in his first collegiate tournament, McKay tied for 63rd with a 227 total. In his first season, he's averaging 76.00 strokes per round for the Wolverines.
Etching Another Red Round Tally
With a six-under, 278 team total in the first round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17), Michigan posted its fourth all-time team round under 280. In fact, the 278 ranks as the fourth best team total of all-time. Of the top three all-time rounds under 280, three have come at the U-M Golf Course. The Wolverines set the all-time record last year at the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate with a 275 team total in the second round.
Pumford Breaks Out at Wolverine Intercollegiate
Despite playing as an individual, in just his second collegiate event at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17) two weeks ago, Nick Pumford set career bests throughout the weekend. He had a career-best finish with his runner-up showing, a 54-hole tournament total at four-under 209, and a career-best four-under 67 single-round tally in the first round. In the second and third rounds, he posted back-to-back even-par 71s as he tallied his three top career rounds during the weekend. Overall, Pumford smashed his previous best mark of two-over 73 shot in the second round of the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate.
Dore Equals Marks at U-M Golf Course, Again
Kevin Dore's first-round three-under 68 at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17) tied his career-best round. He equaled his three-under 68 he had in the third round of the 2004 Big Ten Championships (May 8-9), which was also played at the U-M Golf Course. In addition to his single round tally, for the fourth time in his career Dore equaled his career-best 54-hole tournament total with a 214 at the Wolverine Intercollegiate. He's now posted the career-best total three times at the U-M Golf Course -- the 2005 and 2006 Wolverine Intercollegiate, and the 2004 Big Ten Championships. The other 214 was at the 2003 Hoosier Invitational.
New Face Joins the Maize and Blue
This season sees a new addition to the Michigan coaching staff, with Chris Whitten joining the program as an assistant coach. Before joining the Wolverines staff in May 2006, Whitten was the assistant golf professional at the prestigious Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Prior to his work at Inverness, Whitten served as an assistant coach at his alma mater Notre Dame for two years (2003-05).
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
