Wolverine Golfers Excel in Early Summer Tournaments
6/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's golf team was well represented in several early summer tournaments, including the prestigious U.S. Open, the Michigan Open and -- one of the AJGA's major junior tournaments of the summer -- the FootJoy Boy's Invitational.
To kick off the summer, two former Wolverines successfully made it through the qualifying process and played in the 2007 U.S. Open last weekend (June 14-17) at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Former All-Big Ten players Kyle Dobbs (1994-97) and Andy Matthews (1999-2002) each competed in the tournament but neither made the cut to the weekend. Dobbs finished his U.S. Open with round scores of 77 and 78, while Matthews closed with rounds of 79 and 81.
Seven current and former Wolverines were among the field at the 2007 Michigan Open on June 11-14 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Mich., and two of the Michigan representatives earned top-10 finishes. Former Wolverine Scott Hayes (1998-2001) took second, just missing medalist honors with an 11-under 276 total (69-68-68-71), while current Wolverine junior-to-be Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) tied for 10th after a 285 total (73-70-71-71) on one of his hometown courses.
Former Wolverines Rob Tighe (2002-05) and Christian Vozza (2003-06) both finished among the top 40. Tighe tied for 30th with a 289 total (75-74-70-70) and Vozza tied for 36th with a 293 (71-70-79-73). Other Wolverines among the field that failed to qualify to the weekend included: Former Wolverine Anthony Dietz (1990-93), tied for 85th (79-71/150) and current Wolverines Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS), tied for 96th (73-78/151), and Billy McKay (Grand Blanc, Mich./David Leadbetter Golf Academy), tied for 127th (72-82/154).
Incoming top-20 national recruits Jun "Lion" Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./ Lake Mary Prep School) and Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia / Bradenton Prep Academy [Bradenton, Fla.]) both had strong finishes at the FootJoy Boy's Invitational -- an outing many consider to be one of the AJGA's major tournaments of the summer. Kim led the way, tying for third with a 281 total (70-71-71-69), while Sitompul tied for 36th -- just eight strokes back at 289 (74-72-73-70) -- in the highly competitive field.
Next up for the Maize and Blue is the 96th Michigan Amateur Championship Tuesday through Saturday, June 19-23, at the Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, Mich. McKay, Brian Ottenweller (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central), Pumford and Rankin each have a spot in the tournament field.
Following qualifying rounds, the amateur championship will have 156 players in the championship field that will play 36 holes of stroke play. The top 64 will advance to the match play bracket. The Wolverines have had 13 different players win the Michigan Amateur title -- Christian Vozza was the most recent, claiming the crown in 2005.
2007 U.S. Open Championship
June 14-17 Oakmont Country Club Oakmont, Pa. Site
Kyle Dobbs (alumnus), t-107th (77-78/155), missed cut Scorecard
Andy Matthews (alumnus), t-138th (79-81/160), missed cut Scorecard
2007 Michigan Open Championship
June 11-14 Grand Traverse Resort Traverse City, Mich. Site
Scott Hayes (alumnus), 2nd (69-68-68-71/276, -11)
Bill Rankin (current), t-10th (73-70-71-71/285, -2
Rob Tighe (alumnus), t-30th (75-74-70-70/289, +2)
Christian Vozza (alumnus), t-36th (71-70-79-73/293, +6)
Anthony Dietz (alumnus), t-85th (79-71/150), missed cut
Nick Pumford (current), t-96th (73-78/151), missed cut
Billy McKay (current), t-127th (72-82/154), missed cut
2007 FootJoy Boy's Invitational
June 11-15 Forest Oaks Country Club Greensboro, N.C. Site
Lion Kim (incoming), t-3rd (70-71-71-69/281)
Alexander Sitompul (incoming), t-36th (74-72-73-70/289)
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
