2006-07 GFM Intercollegiate -- Day 2 Notes & Quotes

Q U O T E S

Michigan Coach Andrew Sapp
On the Wolverine Intercollegiate ... "This tournament was a good way to get our fall season kick-started after having a few setbacks last week. The guys really bounced back very well from that tournament. It would have been nice to have won, but Wisconsin played well, especially in that second round when we played poorly. Today we had some missed opportunities. It was nice to see Bill (Rankin) bounce back and have a great 68. I am super excited about Nick's (Pumford) second-place finish. That is awesome for him. There has been a lot of growth for him over the last year and it is good to see that come to fruition. I am pleased with the second place. Obviously you want to win, that is what you strive for. Our goal was to compete to win and I think our guys did a good job doing that. They hung in there. They tried to grind it out. Even though the result wasn't a win, I think they played hard. We look forward to a couple of weeks off before we get ready for our tournament in Indiana. Hopefully we can continue to play well where we are competing to win that championship."

U-M Junior Tim Schaetzel
On the Wolverines' weekend performance ... "We got off to a great start. It was really good to come out and fire a low round to set the tone for the tournament. It was the lowest round for our team since we were in California last year. It was good to see three guys shoot in the 60s in a single round. The second round, I think we got a little tired and made a couple of mistakes. I had a couple mental mistakes. It really is a long day. But it was good keep in our rhythm and finish the day at even par. Today was a little disappointing. We had some three-putts, I hit a wrong ball, and a couple of us got off to bad starts. We just had to grind our way through it. However, we still finished second and we beat a number of teams by just a couple of shots, which shows how important it is to grind things out, even if it is for bogey or double (bogey)."

On the mindset of the team after two tournaments ... "We are definitely going in the right direction. We now have broken into the season and we feel we are a little warmed up, we are running. Now we have a little bit of time to hone a couple of things and get some time to practice what has gone wrong these last two tournaments. Hopefully with hard work we can continue to get better before we head back out."

U-M Sophomore Nick Pumford
On his weekend play and runner-up finish ... "I tell you what, it has been incredible. I played well in practice during the week but nothing spectacular. But I knew I had it in me. Coach (Andrew Sapp) has been supportive. Everyone on the team has been supportive. Coach (Chris) Whitten and I have been working on my short game, and that has helped tremendously. You know, I really did just catch fire. To get 12 birdies in the first day, I would have never expected that. All weekend, I hit my wedges close and made a lot of putts."

On if playing at the U-M Golf Course gave him more confidence ... "I think it would be okay to say it was nice to have a little home course advantage. It has taken me a year to read these greens. Now I finally have a little understanding of how these greens are going to break. That helped a lot. It's definitely a help to play here every day."

On what he says to people who were surprised by his performance ... "I cannot say that I am surprised. I know I surprised a lot of people. I played well this summer. I played well in the Michigan Open. So truthfully it isn't a surprise to myself. I knew I had it in me and I really put it all together for a weekend."

N O T E S

Michigan's starting lineup at the Wolverine Intercollegiate included Kevin Dore, Brian Ottenweller, Tim Schaetzel, Bill Rankin and Will Kendall. Playing as individuals were Matt McLaughlin, Nick Pumford, Brian Schielke, Billy McKay, Michael Slovitt and Ross Millman.

Freshmen Billy McKay, Ross Millman and Michael Slovitt each made his collegiate debut by playing in the Wolverine Intercollegiate. All three played as individuals.

With a six-under 278 team total in the first round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate, Michigan posted its fourth all-time team round under 280. The 278 ranks as the fourth best team total all-time. In fact, of the top three all-time rounds under 280, three have been played at the U-M Golf Course.

Despite playing as an individual and in just his second collegiate event, sophomore Nick Pumford set career bests throughout the entire weekend. He had a career-best finish with his runner-up showing, a career-best 54-hole tournament total at four-under 209, and a career-best four-under 67 single-round tally in the first round.

Nick Pumford's four-under 67 in the first round at the Wolverine Intercollegiate is a career-best single-round tally. He smashed his previous best mark of two-over 73 shot in the second round of the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate (Sept. 24-25).

Senior Kevin Dore's first-round three-under 68 at the Wolverine Intercollegiate 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) at the U-M Golf Course.

Sophomore Bill Rankin's three-under 68 in the final round at the Wolverine Intercollegiate is a career best. He erased his previous best mark of one-under 71 shot in the third round of the 2005 Hawkeye Intercollegiate (Sept. 10-11).

With the start at the Wolverine Intercollegiate, Tim Schaetzel has started the last 18 tournaments for the Maize and Blue. In 21 career tournaments, he has 20 starts.

TOURNAMENT NOTES

Oregon State's Mitch Gillis recorded a six-under 65 in the first round, which ties him for the second best single-round tally all-time at the U-M Golf Course. He became the ninth player to record a round score of 65. Minnesota's James McLean holds the all-time mark with a 63.