Michigan
49er Collegiate Classic
Cold Putting Slips Wolverines to Fourth at 49er Classic
10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
CONCORD, N.C. -- After two days of chilly and windy weather followed by a two-hour frost delay in the final round, the University of Michigan men's golf team battled through the conditions all tournament long to earn its second top-five finish of the season today (Tuesday, Oct. 24) at the 49er Collegiate Classic at the Cabarrus Country Club. The Maize and Blue closed the 15 team tournament with a fourth-place showing with a 904 54-hole total.
After opening the tournament with a 300 in the chilly first round, the Wolverines caught fire in the windy second round, tallying a 291 team total to put them in second place as a team. Following a two-hour frost delay in the final round, cold putting to start and close the round cost the Wolverines as they closed with a 313 team total.
Junior Tim Schaetzel (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) led the Wolverines, recording his fourth straight top-15 finish individual. After getting off to a red-hot start, self-admitted putter troubles in the final round saw Schaetzel slip from first to a tie for 12th with a 225 tournament total. Opening with a two-under 70, he continued his strong play in the second round, posting a one-under 71 to sit tied atop the leaderboard with a 141 36-hole total. After the two-hour delay, Schaetzel found himself eight over par after seven holes as he missed putt after putt in the final round en route to an 84.
Senior Kevin Dore (Dundas, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's) had a solid showing as he recorded his second top-20 finish on the season as he tied for 15th with a 227 total. He recorded an opening-round total of 76, only to improve three shots in the second round, firing a one-over 73. In the final round, missed opportunities around the green got the best of Dore as he closed with a 78.
Sophomore Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) tied for 22nd with a 228 54-hole total. After opening with a 75 in the first round, he fell back in the second round, posting a 78. Rankin battled strong throughout the final 18 holes, posting the day's best round of 75, giving him his third top-25 finish of the season.
Other Wolverine starter totals include: sophomore Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS), tied for 30th with a 230 total (79-71-70), and senior Matt McLaughlin (Tucson, Ariz./Millbrook HS [Raleigh, N.C.]), tied for 61st with a 241 total (85-76-80). Freshman Michael Slovitt (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier HS) traveled as an individual and tied for 71st with a 244 total (80-82-82).
Overall, host Charlotte entered a split squad and finished 1-2 as the 'A' team posted an 871 total (294-289-288), while the 'B' team tallied an 891 total (295-305-291). Davidson (304-299-300) was third with a 903 total. Individually, Charlotte made it a sweep of the titles, as Ray Sheedy took home medalist honors with a 209 total (73-68-68). South Florida's Tyler Hitchcock (70-75-70) was the runner-up at 215.
The Wolverines will have three weeks off before closing their fall season over the Thanksgiving break with a trip to Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii, Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 22-23, for the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational. The 54-hole tournament will be played at the Kiahuna Golf Club and will be a split tournament with men's and women's programs.
Team Standings
1. Charlotte 294-289-288 = 871 2. Charlotte 'B' 295-305-291 = 891 3. Davidson College 304-299-300 = 903 4. MICHIGAN 300-291-313 = 904 5. South Florida 299-306-300 = 905 6. Iowa State 304-302-301 = 907 7. Elon University 296-316-306 = 918 8. UNC Wilmington 309-304-306 = 919 9. Iowa 296-311-314 = 921 10. Jacksonville State 304-307-311 = 922 11. Ball State 295-318-313 = 926 12. East Carolina 315-309-304 = 928 13. Richmond 311-317-301 = 929 14. George Washington 310-318-309 = 937 15. Pacific 322-318-318 = 958
Top Individuals
1. Ray Sheedy, Charlotte 73-68-68 = 209
2. Tyler Hitchcock, USF 70-75-70 = 215
3. Corey Nagy, Charlotte 'B' 71-77-69 = 217
4. Wayne Denger, Ball State 70-74-74 = 218
5. Trevor Murphy, Charlotte 75-71-73 = 219
Derek Wallace, UNC Wilmington 73-72-74 = 219
7. Chris Baker, Iowa State 72-73-75 = 220
8. Jimmy Lytle, Elon 70-76-75 = 221
Steve Mayo, Davidson 73-75-73 = 221
Jonas EnanderHedin, Charlotte 72-76-73 = 221
David Rawluk, Charlotte 'B' 77-73-71 = 221
12. TIM SCHAETZEL, U-M 70-71-84 = 225
Stefan Wiedergruen, Charlotte 'B' 75-78-72 = 225
Robin Smith, East Carolina 76-74-75 = 225
Other Michigan Individuals
T15. Kevin Dore 76-73-78 = 227 T22. Bill Rankin 75-78-75 = 228 T30. Nick Pumford 79-71-80 = 230 T61. Matt McLaughlin 85-76-80 = 241 T71. Michael Slovitt 80-82-82 = 244* * played as individual
Q U O T E S
Michigan coach Andrew Sapp
On the tournament's tale of three different rounds ... "The first round was not quite what I wanted. We only had a couple of good scores and Tim (Schaetzel) kept us in it with his first-round 70. The second round was great. We had three really good scores and our worst counting score was a 76 so that is how we made up a lot of ground on the field. Today, we really got off to a bad start early on, but we were fighting through the middle of the round. I was really pleased with about three or four holes to play that we were still hanging in there. We just hit a train wreck the last few holes and that cost us. We played No. 18 very poorly. We just didn't finish the round very well. We put up some doubles and some triples and that is something you just cannot do if you want to catch someone or maintain your position in the field."
On if the weather played a factor in the final round ... "It might have had a small effect, but you really cannot blame it on the weather. Charlotte played great. They shot even-par in this weather. So, it's not the weather. I think it was just a matter of guys being overanxious to have to play a great round and catch Charlotte, who were eight shots ahead of us. We just got off to bad starts and had bad finishes. It's hard to put a finger on it. We just played really poorly today."
On where the team goes from here before closing the fall in Hawaii ... "We are going to work a lot on our putting. It may be in the basement of our golf course, but we are going to make a lot of five-footers. I saw a lot of missed putts today and yesterday. I saw a lot of three-putts from five feet. So we are definitely going to work on our putting."
U-M Junior Tim Schaetzel
On what happened in his third round ... "I wish I had an answer. I just putted very, very poorly. I really didn't hit the ball that much different from yesterday. I made a lot of putts yesterday. I made a lot of important putts for par and got a couple to fall for birdies to really get my confidence going. Today, I missed a lot of short putts early on in the round and I started to lose my confidence on the greens and it snowballed on me."
On if the team was overanxious in the final round ... "That could have very well have happened. We haven't been playing a round with the lead very often. We did in our home tournament, but not really since then. Yesterday, it felt like we really had something going. It was our chance to jump up and get something. Everyone might have tried just a little too hard today. We forced it too much, rather than just letting it come to us."
On if weather and the delay affected the round ... "(The weather) affected the entire field. Everyone had to play in the same conditions. It's no excuse. The scores were pretty high across the board today. Individually, I don't think it changed very much. I just didn't execute the shots I needed to execute today."
On where the team goes from here ... "Well, we have about three weeks before we leave for the tournament in Hawaii. While it will be cold in Michigan this month, but we will keep practicing every chance we can get to get better. It was good to see some good play this weekend and have some play and experiences that put us in a lead. Now the next time, we get near the lead we will be able to contain ourselves a little bit better and know how to attack the golf course better."
N O T E S
• Michigan's 904 54-hole total is the second best of the fall season. The top total for the fall season was the Wolverine's 862 total at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17).
• With Michigan's fourth-place team finish, the Wolverines now have two top-five finishes as a team. The Maize and Blue has a season-best runner-up finish at the Wolverine Intercollegiate.
• With his tie for 12th place at the 49er Collegiate Classic, Tim Schaetzel has now produced four straight top-15 individual finishes. During his fall run he has tied for third at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate (Oct. 15-17), tied for seventh at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Oct. 7-8) and tied for eighth at the Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 16-17).
• With the start at the 49er Collegiate Classic, Tim Schaetzel has started the last 21 tournaments for the Maize and Blue. In 24 career tournaments, he has 23 starts.
• Tim Schaetzel, Kevin Dore and Bill Rankin have started all five tournaments this season.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
