Michigan
Wolverine Intercollegiate
Mueller, Maize and Blue Earn Medalist Honors at Wolverine Intercollegiate
9/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Course: U-M Golf Course (par 71, 6,704 yards)
Tournament: Wolverine Intercollegiate (Day 2)
U-M Team Standing: 1st Place of 11 Teams (278-280-287/845)
Top U-M Individual: Kyle Mueller, 1st place (67-70-69/206)
Next Event: Fri-Sun., Sept. 12-14 -- at Fighting Illini Invitational (Olympia Fields, Ill.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind the individual title of freshman Kyle Mueller (Athens, Ga./Athens Academy) in his collegiate debut, the University of Michigan men's golf team opened the 2014-15 campaign with an 845 total and a team win at the Wolverine Intercollegiate, which wrapped up today (Sunday, Sept. 7) at the U-M Golf Course.
Led by a career first-day performance from junior Chris O'Neill (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run HS) and the steady play of Mueller, the Maize and Blue built a 16-stroke lead heading into today's final round. O'Neill fired a career-best, tournament-low six-under 65 in the early round on Saturday (Sept. 6), and Mueller debuted with a four-under 67. Sophomore Bryce Evon (Windsor, Ontario/Vincent Massey Secondary)
also carded a pair of 71s to lock himself into a tie for sixth at day's end, giving U-M three individuals among the field's top 10 heading into the final 18 holes on Sunday.
Mueller finished his college debut in style, carding a two-under 69 to finish with a seven-under 206 total and claim medalist honors, fending off 2013 champion Cody Blick of San Jose State in the process. Blick made a late charge up the leaderboard, and he and Mueller were tied with two holes to play.
Mueller finished his round by going 14 straight holes without a bogey, and he only carded four bogeys all weekend. Blick momentarily grabbed the lead with birdies on No. 7 and 8, but a double-bogey on the final hole relinquished his lead, and Mueller's closing string of pars proved enough to claim victory.
O'Neill closed the weekend in sixth place with a 211 total, while Evon finished in a tie for 15th after his day-two 73 left him with a 215 final score.
Sophomore Reed Hrynewich (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores HS) also cracked the field's top 25 with his best round of the weekend on Sunday, carding a two-under 69 to finish with a 217 total, while classmate Tom Swanson (Missoula, Mont./Loyola Sacred Heart HS) landed in a tie for 42nd with a 222 total.
Competing as an individual, junior Brett McIntosh (London, Ontario, Canada/Saunders Secondary School) had a strong weekend, firing 72-71-71 to finish in a tie for 12th place at one over par with a 214 total. Senior Noori Hyun (Seoul, Korea/Centreville HS [Va.]) and junior Andrew Yeager (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) also competed as individuals in the event, finishing in ties for 28th place and 47th place, respectively, after posting totals of 218 and 223.
U-M travels to Olympia Fields, Ill., next weekend for the Fighting Illini Invitational (Fri-Sun., Sept. 12-14) at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 278-280-287 = 845 (-7)
2. Penn State 289-287-279 = 855
3. Kansas 288-287-281 = 856
4. San Jose State 287-293-279 = 859
Wisconsin 288-286-285 = 859
6. Eastern Michigan 285-290-286 = 861
Wichita State 290-289-282 = 861
8. Harvard 298-295-289 = 882
Xavier 302-289-291 = 882
10. Rutgers 304-298-283 = 885
11. Fresno State 299-292-295 = 886
Top Individuals
1. KYLE MUELLER, U-M 67-70-69 = 206 (-7)
2. Cody Blick, San Jose State 70-68-69 = 207
3. JD Dornes, Penn State 71-66-71 = 208
Grant Bennett, Wichita State 70-71-67 = 208
Scott Munger, San Jose State 70-72-66 = 208
6. CHRIS O'NEILL, U-M 65-68-78 = 211
7. Connor Peck, Kansas 69-75-68 = 212
Rob Jacobsen, Wisconsin 73-70-69 = 212
9. Ben Welle, Kansas 72-71-70 = 213
Bryce Brown, Kansas 71-72-70 = 213
Cole Miller, Penn State 77-70-66 = 213
Other Michigan Individuals
T15. Bryce Evon 71-71-73 = 215 T23. Reed Hrynewich 75-73-69 = 217 T42. Tom Swanson 75-71-76 = 222 T12. Brett McIntosh 72-71-71 = 214* T28. Noori Hyun 73-71-74 = 218* T47. Andrew Yeager 73-77-73 = 223*
* played as individual
NOTES
• Michigan's team victory at the Wolverine Intercollegiate gives the program its 10th overall home victory in 36 events held at the U-M Golf Course. It is U-M's first victory at the U-M Golf Course since 2008, a span of three events.
• Michigan's team victory is the 45th overall in program history and third under current U-M head coach Chris Whitten.
• Playing in his first collegiate event, Kyle Mueller captured his first career medalist honor. The individual title makes him the sixth Wolverine to capture the individual title at a U-M home event held at the U-M Golf Course. Overall it is the 42nd individual title in program history. Mueller is the first Wolverine since Christian Vozza to win a home event Vozza claimed the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate, a span of six events.
• Michigan won both the team and individual title at a home event held at the U-M Golf Course for the first time since the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate.
• Michigan's first-round 278 (-6) ranks as one of six instances in which the program matched its third-lowest total of all-time. U-M's top total all time is 275 (four times) followed by 277 (three times).
• Junior Chris O'Neill carded a career-best 65 during the tournament's first round, besting his previous career low by one stroke.
• Freshman Kyle Mueller, who started his first collegiate event this weekend, fired a four-under 67 in the opening round to set his career best.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Chris Whitten
On the debut of freshman Kyle Mueller ... "I was so impressed. He hit good shot after good shot and was in position all the time. It's really hard to win college events and he's going to figure that out, but I'm really proud of him and it's certainly a great start to his college golf career."
On having so many players capable of contributing to team score ... "That's going to be the hard part, picking the lineup, because we're in a position where everyone deserves to play, and is capable of playing well. That's where we need to be. We need to have that competition on the team to keep pushing us forward."
U-M Freshman Kyle Mueller
On the emotion of an individual title in his first collegiate event ... "I still can't really believe that I won. Going into the day, I wasn't as nervous on the first tee as I was yesterday. I had some pars early on and it felt good to get settled down early into the round."
On what parts of his game allow him to succeed at the U-M Golf Course ... "I was hitting the ball solid all weekend, and I was really accurate, so that helped. Hitting it a little longer, I was able to use some shorter clubs getting to the hole and bring the ball in high and soft. I was spinning the ball a little too much, so that started to be a problem but overall the course just fits my eye. It's a great course and we had great conditions."
On starting off the season with a team victory ... "Our mindset going into every event is to win, but we really wanted to get a victory here and start the season off right. We all knew that we would be disappointed if we didn't come away with a victory on our home course."
U-M Junior Chris O'Neill
On the positive momentum of a team win in the season's first event ... "It's big. It's exactly what we set out to do to start the year. We had to protect our home course and we were able to do it. I'm really happy with the way the guys played and I think it's a good start to a great season."
On the value of having so many golfers play well ... "It's exciting. It's tough for the coaches but it's a good problem to have with all these guys competing for the spots. This week everyone seemed like they shots scores that would have helped us at one point or another, so it's good that we have a team where everyone can contribute."
Players Mentioned
