Michigan
Red Rocks Invitational
Wolverines Capture Team Title at Red Rocks Invitational
3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Site: Sedona, Ariz.
Course: Oak Creek Country Club (par 72, 6,089 yards)
Tournament: Red Rocks Invitational
U-M Standing: 1st Place of 17 Teams (307-302/609)
Top U-M Individual: Ashley Bauer (77-74) and Lydia Benitez Colon (76-75), tie-2nd (151)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 14 -- Alumni Match (Naples, Fla.)
SEDONA, Ariz. -- The University of Michigan women's golf team picked up its second team championship of the season with a 13-stroke margin of victory at the Red Rocks Invitational, held Saturday and Sunday (March 1-2) at the par-72, 6,089-yard Oak Creek Country Club. All 10 U-M team members competed in the 17-team tournament that concluded the Wolverines' spring break trip.
Michigan assumed a three-shot lead with its first-round 307 on Saturday and expanded its advantage with a 302 score that was eight shots clear of any other team Sunday. The Wolverines' 609 total put them comfortably ahead of runner-up Oral Roberts (312-310/622) for the team title, U-M's first since winning the season-opening Wolverine Invitational.
Senior Lydia Benitez Colon (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Pendleton School) and junior Ashley Bauer (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) led the way for the Wolverines, finishing in a three-way tie for second place with 36-hole totals of 151. Freshman Milena Savich (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) also placed in the top 10, tying for seventh at 154 (79-75).
Benitez Colon fired rounds of 76 and 75, while Bauer opened with a 77 that included a hole-in-one -- with a 6-iron on the 160-yard seventh hole -- before posting U-M's low round of the tournament (74) on Sunday. They finished three shots behind medalist Kelly Gillum of Montana State, who had a four-over-par total of 148 (75-73).
Sophomore Min Yean Tan (Queensland, Australia/Hills International College) and Benitez Colon paced the Wolverines on the first day of the tournament, shooting 75 and 76, respectively. In the second round, veterans Bauer (74) and Benitez Colon (75) received a boost from the freshman duo of Savich and Meagan Bauer(Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS), who carded rounds of 75 and 78, respectively.
Tan finished in a tie for 16th at 157 (75-82), while Meagan Bauer, playing in her second career event and making her first start, tied for 25th at 160 (82-78).
Among the five Wolverines who competed as individuals, sophomore Louisa Shu (West Bloomfield, Mich./Birmingham Seaholm HS) enjoyed the top performance as she tied for 13th with rounds of 79 and 77 for a 156 total. Freshman Brooke Bettis (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS) also posted back-to-back rounds in the 70s, shooting 158 (79-79) to tie for 20th, while junior Andrea Ratigan (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) added a tie for 25th (83-77/160) in her home state.
After an alumni match on Saturday, March 14, in Naples, Fla., the Wolverines will return to Arizona for the Mountain View Challenge, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, in Tucson, Ariz.
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 307-302 = 609 (+33) 2. Oral Roberts 312-310 = 622 3. Winthrop 310-316 = 626 4. Northern Arizona 312-317 = 629 5. Wyoming 320-310 = 630 6. MICHIGAN "B" 319-318 = 637 7. South Carolina Upstate 324-317 = 641 8. Montana State 326-319 = 645 9. Portland State 318-328 = 646 10. Montana 335-321 = 656 11. Portland 329-328 = 657 12. Xavier 336-328 = 664 13. Western Michigan 326-341 = 667 14. Northern Colorado 341-330 = 671 15. Grand Canyon 341-337 = 678 16. Southern Utah 340-346 = 686 17. Utah Valley 355-349 = 704 18. Idaho State 354-360 = 714
Top Individuals
1. Kelly Gillum, Montana State 75-73 = 148 (+4) 2. Ashley Bauer, U-M 77-74 = 151 Lydia Benitez Colon, U-M 76-75 = 151 Megan Buck, Northern Ariz. 76-75 = 151* 5. Crystal Reeves, ORU 72-80 = 152 6. Alexa Kim, Northern Ariz. 74-79 = 153 7. Milena Savich, U-M 79-75 = 154 Sarah Fogerty, Wyoming 80-74 = 154 9. Sara Hester, Winthrop 74-81 = 155 Rachel Smith, Winthrop 76-79 = 155 Eve Santillan, ORU 78-77 = 155 Julie Miller, SC Upstate 78-77 = 155
Other Michigan Individuals
T16. Min Yean Tan 75-82 = 157 T25. Meagan Bauer 82-78 = 160 T13. Louisa Shu 79-77 = 156* T20. Brooke Bettis 79-79 = 158* T25. Andrea Ratigan 83-77 = 160* T52. Katelin Davis 79-86 = 165* T60. Jen Cleary 82-85 = 167*
* played as individual
N O T E S
• With the team victory at the Red Rocks Invitational, Michigan now has 30 tournament titles in the history of the program. Of those 30 titles, 24 have come under U-M coach Kathy Teichert. The Wolverines have won 11 during the last six seasons -- two in 2003-04, four in 2004-05, one in 2005-06, two in 2006-07 and two in 2008-09.
• For the third time this season, Michigan had three Wolverines close among the top-10 individually; Ashley Bauer and Lydia Benitez Colon tied for medallist runner-up, while Milena Savich was seventh.
• Lydia Benitez Colon's individual runner-up finish was a career best, topping her tie for fourth at the season-opening Wolverine Invitational. En route to the top finish, she closed with a career-best 36-hole tournament total with a 151 (76-75). It bettered her prior best of 160 (78-82) at the 2007 Red Rocks Invitational.
• Ashley Bauer's second-place finish was her fourth in the top 10 this season, while Milena Savich's seventh-place finish was her fifth of the season.
• Jenn Cleary's first-round 82 was a career best, bettering the 86 she fired in her first collegiate round at the Wolverine Invitational.
Q U O T E S
Michigan head coach Kathy Teichert
On the win in the tournament... "It was a great way to finish our spring break, with all the practices and playing we had leading up to the event. Our goal was to win the event and we came out accomplishing that goal. I was happy with the way a few of our players played, and seeing other players step up to the challenge of playing golf again. I am hoping our players continue to play well and stay excited. They can see that they have the potential and ability to step up and play well and win tournaments."
On the Wolverines stepping up... "Both Lydia (Benitez Colon) and Ashley (Bauer) played well today, actually the whole team played really well. I thought we would score better than we finished up. We had some hiccups towards the end and that is not something we want to see towards the end of the season. It was a good way to find out how we would react to certain events and finishing. Lydia shot 33 on the front side but didn't play as well on the back side. But she held it together; she hung in there and finished strong. Ashley hit the ball really well yesterday; she hit a hole-in-one. It was not only her first collegiate hole-in-one, but her first hole-in-one period. We are excited for her."
On the trip... "The spring break trip has been a great opportunity for us. We played some significant golf courses. It was really special for us to play some of these golf courses -- Desert Mountain, Whisper Rock and Silver Lake. We had some great golf courses to play over break and phenomenal practice opportunities at each of the courses. We got some rust off of our games and we look forward to taking a couple weeks to keep practicing and improving. This break and tournament was a big success for us and it came at a time when we could really use it."
U-M Senior Lydia Benitez Colon
On the team's performance... "I was pretty happy to see we finished at the top. We played pretty well compared to the past couple weeks. It was exciting to get off to a good start and keep it going for the rest of the season. I was really excited to see that Ashley (Bauer) played well as well. And to see a couple other players in the top 10 that was pretty exciting. Overall, I am glad with how the weekend went and hopefully we will keep on a high heading into Big Ten's and the Regional."
On her career-best performance... "Individually, I felt pretty good with my game. Throughout the week I thought I was really good at working on the stuff I have been struggling with in the past, namely my putting. I was able to figure that out throughout the week, which helped me feel pretty good heading into the weekend. Today, I felt pretty good about my game. I got off to a good start and struggled a bit at the end, but I was able to post a solid score."
U-M Junior Ashley Bauer
On the trip... "I think the weekend went pretty well. It was a long week, 10 days, but it was a great experience. We got to play some great golf courses in Arizona and meet some great Michigan Alumni. Everyone got along really well and it was a unique opportunity to get some turnout at the courses."
On the tournament... "Going into the weekend everyone was really excited. Everyone got to play, which was a huge bonus, usually that doesn't happen. We did win, but I think we didn't play up to our potential. There were lots of birdie opportunities out there. I heard numerous people say they didn't capitalize on those opportunities, myself included. The final day I hit seven greens inside of eight feet and I only made one of those putts. That was unfortunate and it looks like I will have to go back to the putting green to work on those putts because those will make or break you. We had a lot of good highlights of the weekend. I think it was positive. We are on the right track and it was definitely a highlight to place first at the tournament. Lydia had a career-best finish at the tournament. A lot of girls didn't play as well and they would like, but a lot of people played better."
On her play... "I played a lot better today, but I didn't score as well as I would like. I double-bogeyed my last hole to shoot 74. That was pretty much how the whole weekend went. I feel like I played better than what I scored. I had a hole-in-one, which was the highlight of my weekend. I missed a lot of easy putts and I need to get away from the double-bogeys."
Players Mentioned
