Michigan
NCAA Southwest Regional (Day 2)
Rankin's Even-Par Day Helps U-M Remain in Hunt for NCAA Finals
5/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Austin, Texas
Course: University of Texas Golf Course (par 71, 7,412 yards)
Tournament: NCAA Southwest Regional (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Standing: Tie-7th Place of 13 Teams (301-295/596)
Top U-M Individual: Matt Thompson, tie-11th (74-72/146)
Final Round: Saturday, May 16 -- at NCAA Southwest Regional (Austin, Texas), 10:10 a.m. CDT
AUSTIN, Texas -- After posting the highest individual score in yesterday's opening round of the NCAA Southwest Regional, senior co-captain Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) responded in grand fashion, carding an even-par 71 in today's (Friday, May 15) second round to help the University of Michigan men's golf team close the day with a 295 team score and remain in seventh after 36 holes at the University of Texas Golf Course.
Bill Rankin
In what has become a battle down to the wire, the 13-team regional field went back and forth throughout the second day, exchanging positions the entire round. With just nine shots separating the middle of the pack from fifth to 11th, the Wolverines share the seventh position with California at 596 and remain just three shots out of the coveted fifth spot as the top five teams advance to next week's NCAA Finals. Should the Wolverines advance, it would be the first time U-M has reached the NCAA Finals since 1997.
U-M highlighted the day's play with fourth-year man Rankin posting a U-M regional-best, even-par 71. Opening on the back nine, Rankin began his round going one under through the first five holes. Bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17 pushed him over par and he made the turn at one over. A double bogey on No. 3 elevated him to three over, but Rankin focused in on the final six holes, playing them three under, including back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7. He then closed No. 9 with another birdie to close even par. With his 151 total, he is tied for 36th individually after two rounds.
Following up his solid three-over 74 in the opening round, freshman Matt Thompson (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS) continues to lead the Wolverines, posting a one-over 72 in the second round to sit tied for 11th with a 146 two-day total. Opening today's round with back-to-back bogeys,Thompson settled into a groove, parring 13 of his next 14 holes and adding birdies on No. 2 and No. 9. Through two days of play, he has parred 27 of the 36 regional holes in his first NCAA postseason appearance.
Sophomore Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) stayed among the top 30 as he is tied for 28th with a 149 total. Kim led U-M with a 73 yesterday and finished today's round with a 76. After a promising start, sophomore Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep) closed with a 76 total, putting him tied for 45th at 153 (77-76), while senior co-captain Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) is tied for 62nd at 158 (77-81).
Using a home-course advantage, Texas' Lance Lopez used a two-under 69 and two teammates shot even-par 71s to move the 24th-ranked Longhorns into the lead with a 576 (291-285). First-day leader and 17th-ranked Texas Tech was 14 strokes worse in the second round as the Red Raiders lost their lead and sit second at 578 (282-296), while eighth-ranked Florida (293-287) remained in third at 580. Lopez's second-round tally helped him move into the individual lead with a five-under 137 (68-69) total, which is four shots better than UNLV's Eddie Olson, who is second at one-under 141 (72-69).
With 36 holes completed, the Wolverines will close the 2009 NCAA Southwest Regional with the final round on Saturday (May 16) at the University of Texas Golf Course. The Maize and Blue will be paired with California and Texas-Arlington with a tee time of 10:10 a.m. CDT. The top five teams and the top individual from a non-qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Finals, which will be held Wednesday through Saturday, May 27-30, at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Team Standings
1. Texas 291-285 = 576 (+8)
2. Texas Tech 282-296 = 578
3. Florida 293-287 = 580
4. UNLV 296-289 = 585
5. Stanford 294-299 = 593
6. Lamar 296-298 = 594
7. MICHIGAN 301-295 = 596
California 306-290 = 596
9. Texas-Arlington 308-290 = 598
10. New Mexico State 309-292 = 601
11. Mississippi State 305-297 = 602
12. Virginia Tech 302-306 = 608
13. Jackson State 335-315 = 650
Top Individuals
1. Lance Lopez, Texas 68-69 = 137 (-5)
2. Eddie Olson, UNLV 72-69 = 141
3. Hugues Joannes, Lamar 68-74 = 142
Travis Reid, New Mexico State 72-70 = 142
5. Tyson Alexander, Florida 75-68 = 143
Nils Floren, Texas Tech 70-73 = 143
Bobby Hudson, Texas 72-71 = 143
8. Chris Ward, Texas Tech 71-73 = 144
9. Eric Mina, California 74-71 = 145
Brian Scherer, Texas Tech 70-75 = 145
Michigan Individuals
T11. Matt Thompson 74-72 = 146 T28. Lion Kim 73-76 = 149 T36. Bill Rankin 80-71 = 151 T45. Alexander Sitompul 77-76 = 153 T62. Nick Pumford 77-81 = 158
NOTES
• Michigan is making its 23rd NCAA postseason appearance. The NCAA Southwest Regional marks the fourth modern-era, regional-formatted event for U-Mand the second straight for the Wolverines. U-M also played in the 1997, 2000 and 2008 Central Regionals and advanced to the NCAA Finals in 1997. U-M won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1934 and 1935.
• Nick Pumford, Bill Rankin, Lion Kim and Alexander Sitompul are playing in their second NCAA Regional, while Matt Thompson is making his first appearance.
• With his start at the NCAA Southwest Regional, Bill Rankin has now made 36 straight and has not missed a start in the last three seasons. Nick Pumford made his 22nd straight start for the Wolverines dating back to his junior year, while Lion Kim extended his consecutive start streak to 18. All three are the only Wolverines to start all 12 events this season.
Players Mentioned
