Weekly Release #4: Wolverines Battle at Prestige
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Mon-Tue., Oct. 13-14 -- at the Prestige (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Live Tournament Stats
Next on the Tee
With just a short six-day turnaround from its last competition, the No. 28-ranked University of Michigan men's golf team will head to La Quinta, Calif., Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 13-14, for the Prestige. It marks the second straight year U-M will play at the event hosted by Stanford and UC-Davis. Last year, the Wolverines tied for seventh in the 16-team field. The 2008 54-hole event will be played at the Greg Norman Course at PGA WEST with 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday. Scoring for the Prestige will be five players; count the low four scores each round. The Wolverines will be paired Pepperdine and Washington for the first 36 holes. The Greg Norman Course at PGA WEST will be set up for a par 72 and 7,156 yards
The Tournament Field
There will be 16 schools participating in the Prestige: No. 21 California, No. 49 Central Florida, No. 30 Colorado, No. 1 in Div II Florida Southern, No. 42 Kentucky, No. 28 Michigan, No. 17 Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pacific, No. 25 Pepperdine, Rice, TCU, No. 4 Washington, No. 40 UC Davis, No. 12 Stanford.
The Tournament Schedule
| Sunday, Oct. 12 | Practice Round - teams playing throughout the day |
| Monday, Oct. 13 | First Round (18) begins with a tee times at 7:30 a.m. PDT |
| Second Round (18) will be a continuous play following the first round | |
| Tuesday, Sept. 14 | Final Round (18) begins with a tee times at 7:30 a.m. PDT |
The Tournament Lineup
The Wolverines will carry a five-man roster at the Prestige: senior co-captain Nick Pumford(St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS), senior co-captain Bill Rankin(Traverse City, Mich./Central HS), sophomore Lion Kim(Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School), junior Ross Millman(St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School) and freshman Matt Thompson(Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS).
Rematch in California
Earlier this season, Michigan won the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate in a back-and-forth final round battle with UC Davis and California. This week all three teams will square off again at the Prestige. The Maize and Blue won the team title at its home event by two strokes over UC Davis and five strokes over California.
Getting the First Start
After two straight impressive individual performances, Matt Thompson will start his first career event at the Prestige. This season, Thompson has posted two top-20 finishes after tying for 14th at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate and finishing 18th at the 2008 Windon Memorial Classic. He has posted three sub-par rounds of his six total this season, including a career-best three-under 68 in his first collegiate round at the Wolverine Intercollegiate. He is averaging 71.33 strokes per round.
Last Time on the Course
After opening the season with two straight wins, Michigan posted a seventh-place finish in its third event at the Windon Memorial Classic at the North Short Country Club in Glenview, Ill. The Wolverines closed with an 877 54-hole total after posting team tallies of 294, 291 and 292. Senior captains Nick Pumford and Bill Rankin led the way with top-30 finishes. Pumford tied for 25th with at 218 (75-70-73) and Rankin tied for 28th at 219 (73-72-74). Matt Thompson played as an individual and shined again, closing 18th with a 216 (71-75-70).
Among the Elite
After opening the season with back-to-back wins, the Wolverines rank 28th according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. U-M has a current rating of 71.02. The highest Big Ten team is Illinois, who is third at 69.86. Overall, the Maize and Blue are 25-6 against top-100 teams, 9-3 against the top 50 and 4-2 against the top 25.
Longevity Continuing
With his expected start at the 2008 the Prestige, Bill Rankin will make it 28 straight events as a Wolverine starter. He has yet to miss a start in the last three years. Throughout his career, he has played in 34 career events, with 31 starts.
Seeing Red
So far this season, the Wolverines have posted 19-of-66 rounds at or below par this season with 14 of those rounds attributed to the starting five. Nick Pumford leads with four out of his nine. As a team, U-M has three team rounds at or below par, including a U-M record-tying nine-under 275 in the second round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate. Overall, U-M is averaging below par with a 288.67 team average.
Etching Name as Full Time Starter
Ross Millman has started the first three tournaments of the season after playing in just two total events during his first two years. He has posted top-25 finishes in both events this season, posting a career best for a single-round tally with a two-under 69 in the second round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate, which helped him to a 213 (74-69-70) -- a career best for a 54-hole tournament. He is averaging 73.78 strokes per round.
PLAYER-BY-PLAYER NOTABLES
Senior Nick Pumford
Named team captain, along with Bill Rankin
Played in 22 career tournaments, with 18 starts
Averaging a career-best 72.00 strokes per round in final season
Posted four rounds this season at or below par
Shot a career-best five-under 66 in the first round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Posted a career-best-tying 209 (66-70-73) 54-hole total at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Career Stroke Average: 75.23
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament total - 149 (75-74) at the 2007 Boilermaker Invitational ... 54-hole tournament total - four-under 209 (67-71-71) at the 2006 Wolverine Intercollegiate and four-under 209 (66-70-73) at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament - 308 (77-77-78-76) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships
Senior Bill Rankin
Named team captain, along with Nick Pumford
Played in 34 career tournaments, with 31 starts
Started 27 straight tournaments for U-M -- has not missed a start in three years
Averaging a career-best 72.00 strokes per round in final season
Posted a season-best 211 (72-69-70) 54-hole total at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Won two career individual titles -- 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout and the 2008 Maxwell
Shot a career-best four-under 66 in the second round of the 2008 Maxwell
Career Stroke Average: 75.13
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament total - one-under 71 at the 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament total - 152 (77-75) at the 2006 Pinehurst Intercollegiate ... 54-hole tournament total - eight-under 202 (67-66-69) at the 2008 Maxwell -- U-M Record ... 72-hole tournament total - three-under 285 (69-75-71-70) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships
Junior Billy McKay
Played in 13 career tournaments, with nine starts
Played as an individual at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate, tying for 77th
Averaging 76.22 strokes in third season
Posted a season-best 227 (80-74-73) 54-hole total at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Shot a career-best one-under 69 in the third round of the 2006 Nike Purdue Kiahuna Collegiate Invitational (Nov. 22-23)
Career Stroke Average: 76.22
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament total - 77 at the 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament total - 153 (76-77) at 2007 Robert Kepler Intercollegiate ... 54-hole tournament total - even-par 216 (72-71-73) at the 2006 Pinehurst Intercollegiate... 72-hole tournament total - 314 (74-82-79-79) at the 2007 Big Ten Championships
Junior Ross Millman
Played in five career tournaments, with three starts
Started all three events of the season, had first career start at the 2008 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
Posted first top-20 finish, tying for 16th at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Averaging a career-best 73.78 strokes per round in third season
Shot a career-best 69 in the second round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Posted a career-best 213 (74-69-70) 54-hole total at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Career Stroke Average: 75.87
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 213 (74-69-70) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament - none
Junior Michael Slovitt
Played in four career events -- all as an individual
Played in one event this season, posting first career top-20 finish, tying for 14th, posting a career-best 212 (75-69-68) 54-hole total at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Averaging 70.67 strokes per round in third season
Shot a career-best three-under 68 in the third round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Career Stroke Average: 76.83
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 212 (75-69-68) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament - none
Junior David Weisfeld
Played in three career events -- all as an individual
Played in one event this season, tying for 69th at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Averaging 75.00 strokes per round in second competitive season
Posted a season-best 225 (74-77-74) 54-hole total at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Shot a career-best 72, two times -- the 2007 Wolverine at Mission Inn (second) and 2008 Missouri Tiger Intercollegiate (second)
Career Stroke Average: 75.78
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 224 (75-72-77) at the 2007 Wolverine at Mission Inn ... 72-hole tournament - none
Walked onto the Michigan program after taking freshman year off to concentrate on academics ... former roommate of Billy McKay at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy
Sophomore Lion Kim
Played in 16 career tournaments, with 15 starts
Averaging 72.67 strokes per round in second season
Posted three rounds this season at or below par
Posted a season-best 214 (74-69-71) 54-hole total at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Shot a career-best four-under 68 in the second round of the 2008 Puerto Rico Classic
Career Stroke Average: 75.02
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament of 74 at 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total of three-under 213 (76-68-69) at the 2008 Puerto Rico Classic ... 72-hole tournament total of 303 (77-76-75-75) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships
Named Big Ten Golfer of the Week (March 5) after setting a career-best 54-hole tournament total (213, -3) at 2008 Puerto Rico Classic
Given name is Jun Min Kim, but goes by "Lion" which is a nickname given to him by his parents
Sophomore Alexander Sitompul
Played in 14 career tournaments, with 13 starts
Averaging 73.22 strokes per round in second season
Posted a season-best 213 (70-68-75) 54-hole total at 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Shot a career-best four-under 67 in the first round of the 2007 Windon Memorial Classic
Career Stroke Average: 74.00
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - 80 at 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - four-under 212 (74-70-68) at the 2007 Prestige ... 72-hole tournament total - 308 (74-76-80-78) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships
Freshman Alex Frankel
Played as an individual in two events this season
Made collegiate debut as individual at the 2008 Wolf Run Intercollegiate, tying for 42nd
Averaging 75.83 strokes per round in first season
Shot a career-best 74 in the second and third rounds of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 223 (75-74-74) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - none.
Freshman Matt Thompson
Played in two events, both as individuals
Made collegiate debut as individual at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate, tying for 14th
Averaging 71.33 strokes per round in first season
Shot a career-best three-under 68 in the first round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
Posted three rounds this season at or below par
Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 212 (68-72-72) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - none.
Upcoming Schedule
Mon-Tue., Oct. 27-28 -- at Bridgestone Intercollegiate (Greensboro, N.C.)
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
