Hrynewich Makes Hole-In-One; Wolverines Eighth at NCAA Regional

Thursday, May 14

Bremerton, Wash.

8:55 AM PT

Michigan

NCAA Washington Regional

Hrynewich Makes Hole-In-One; Wolverines Eighth at NCAA Regional

5/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

May 14, 2015

Reed Hrynewich

• Washington Regional | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery

Site: Bremerton, Wash.
Course: Gold Mountain Golf Club (par 72, 7,115 yards)
Tournament: NCAA Washington Regional (Day 1 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: Tie-8th Place of 14 Teams (292) after Day 1
Top U-M Individual: Kyle Mueller and Reed Hrynewich, tie-22nd (72)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., May 15-16 -- at NCAA Washington Regional - Day 2 (Bremerton, Wash.), 8 a.m. PDT

BREMERTON, Wash. -- With a pair of even-par 72s from sophomore Reed Hrynewich and freshman Kyle Mueller, the University of Michigan men's golf team opened its NCAA Washington Regional today (Thursday, May 14) with a 292 team total, positioning the Wolverines in a tie for eighth at the Gold Mountain Golf Club.

In a day when the Wolverines saw themselves reach as high as the second position, they could not take advantage of the shortened pins on the par 5s. Missed opportunities added up on the back nine as U-M closed the first round four over par, putting the Wolverines in the eighth spot along with Pepperdine.

Overall, U-M played the front nine at one over par before closing the back side at six over. Still, the Maize and Blue is just five shots back of earning a top-five finish and advancing to the NCAA Finals. UAB used an eight-under 280 to take the lead on the first day, while TCU and USC are tied for second at 281. Iowa State and host Washington are tied for the fourth position at 287.

As for the Wolverines, Hrynewich highlighted the first day recording a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, aiding him to his opening even-par 72. Using a six iron on the par-3, 185-yard hole, his shot landed softly on the green and rolled in for the second ace of his career. Mueller carded a second even-par round as his three birdies erased three bogeys during his first 18 holes. With their 72s, both Wolverines are tied for 22nd, six shots back of first-day leader Sean Crocker (66, -6) of USC.

After cracking his driver head during warmups, Chris O'Neill posted a one-over 73. Despite not playing with his driver, he opened with a pair of birdies on Nos. 2 and 6, making the turn two in the red. However, a double bogey on the 11th hole drew him even. A third birdie of the round helped eliminate two additional bogeys as he closed one over in a tie for 32nd.

Tom Swanson and Bryce Evon rounded out the Wolverines' regional five as they both posted rounds of three-over 75. Swanson spotlighted his round with an eagle on the sixth hole. After reaching the green in two on the par-5, 563-yard hole, he drained 50-foot putt to earn one of three total eagles during the first round. After playing his first nine at four over, Evon rallied on the back side, playing it one under with birdies on Nos. 10 and 14 to reach his 75.

With 36 holes remaining, the Wolverines will play the second round with first-day partners Iowa State and Sam Houston State. However, the trio will begin play off the back side beginning at 8 a.m. PDT. From each of the six NCAA regional sites, the top five teams and low individual not on a qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held Friday through Wednesday, May 29-June 3, at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.

Team Standings (After Day 1)

 1. UAB                 280 (-8) 2. TCU                 281    USC                 281 4. Iowa State          287    Washington          287 6. South Carolina      288 7. UC Davis            289 8. MICHIGAN            292    Pepperdine          29210. Baylor              29311. South Dakota        29812. Sam Houston State   30013. VCU                 30414. Cleveland State     307

Top Individuals

 1. Sean Crocker, USC             66 (-6) 2. Cheng-Tsung Pan, Washington   67    Paul Dunne, UAB               67    Kevin DeHuff, Pepperdine      67 5. Paul Barjon, TCU              68    Martin Rohwer, UAB            68 7. Rico Hoey, USC                69

Michigan Individuals

T22. Kyle Mueller     72T22. Reed Hrynewich   72T32. Chris O'Neill    73T40. Bryce Evon       75T40. Tom Swanson      75

N O T E S

• Reed Hrynewich recorded a hole-in-one of the 16th hole -- par 3, 185 yards. He used a six iron to record the second ace of his career.

• Tom Swanson recorded an eagle on the sixth hole -- par 5, 563 yard. After a 318 opening tee shot, he used his hybrid from 245 out to land on the green about 50 feet away. After surveying the green, he drained the long putt for an eagle.

• Reed Hrynewich, Tom Swanson, Bryce Evon and Kyle Mueller are all competing in their first NCAA postseason event. Chris O'Neill played as an individual at the 2014 NCAA Sugar Grove Regional.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Chris Whitten
On the first day of the NCAA Regional ... "The guys really had a good warmup this morning and got off to good start. Chris (O'Neill) realized on the first tee that his driver face cracked on the last range ball of his warmup, but we didn't have any panic. He hits his 3-wood so far that in a way, it simplified the course for him. Reed's (Hrynewich) hole-in-one was obviously really cool. He hit a smooth six iron and saw it go in the whole way. As a team, we think the course sets up great for us, and if we can eliminate our high scores tomorrow, we can really play two great rounds here. It will be good for us to start on the back nine tomorrow as well. Although we didn't play our best golf on those holes today, it is the more scoreable nine. We will get off to a great start and post a good solid round tomorrow."

Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423