Michigan
Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate
Mueller Finishes Fifth, U-M 11th at Jerry Pate National
10/10/2017 6:49:00 PM | Men's Golf
» Michigan tallied a 290 final round and finished with an 863 54-hole total and finished in 11th place at Alabama's Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate held at the Old Overton Club.
» Senior Kyle Mueller posted his third consecutive sub-par tournament total with a 203 (-7) total to lead U-M for a third straight fall event, finishing fifth individually among the 60-player field.
» Mueller posted back-to-back sub-par rounds including a U-M single-round record 63 (-7) in the second, which included eight birdies. This season he has carded six of his eight rounds under par, with six sub-70.
» Junior Nick Carlson led U-M with a 68 (-2) in the final round. Deseeding all three of his rounds, he tied for 31st at 215 (74-73-68). Mueller and Carlson have now finished as the top two Wolverines in 11 of 27 career events together.
» Sophomore Brent Ito made his first start of the season, tying for 49th at 220 (72-73-75).
Site: Vestavia Hills, Ala.
Course: Old Overton Club (Par 70, 7,204 yards)
Tournament: Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate
U-M Team Standing: 11th place of 12 teams (288-285-290/863)
Top U-M Individual: Kyle Mueller, 5th (68-63-72/203, -7)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Tue., Oct. 23-24 -- Royal Oaks Intercollegiate (Dallas, Texas)
VESTAVIA HILLS, Alabama -- Despite final round tallies of 68 (-2) from junior Nick Carlson and a 72 by senior Kyle Mueller, the University of Michigan men's golf team closed with a 290 team tally today (Tuesday, Oct. 10) to post an 863 54-hole total and finish 11th at Alabama's Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate played at the Old Overton Club.
"It's always a little frustrating to finish just in the back of a pack in scoring," said U-M head coach Chris Whitten. "There were things that I was happy with from the rest of the group for sure, and I still love the potential of this team. Some of our fixes are basic and we will work on those as soon as we get home. We are also learning a lot from these tournament rounds."
For the third straight fall event, Mueller was the top Wolverine posting a fifth-place finish in the 60-player field with a 203 (-7) total -- his third sub-par event tally of the season. Opening with a 68 (-2) in Monday's first round, Mueller caught fire in the second 18, carding eight birdies yielding a U-M single-round record 63 (-7) and positioning himself second individually. The putts falling in his second round were just not falling in the final round as he posted a 72, giving him the fifth spot -- his third consecutive top-10 of the fall.
"This golf course really fit my game," said Mueller. "It's pretty long and played even longer after all the rain that fell. Despite the condition, I still hit the ball very well all weekend, similarly to how I have been feeling earlier in the year. Combine that feeling and the putts I made, I played well. The second round, I just made the putts I was supposed to. It may sound strange, but it was a pretty stress-free 63.
"Obviously, I am disappointed with my finish but it was very close to being a really good round. I was burning edges all day and had some unforced errors. All in all, it was a good event and I learned a lot."
"Kyle really had a good tournament and obviously played his best in the second round," said Whitten. "He's capable of getting in a zone like that on any given day and it was fun to watch. He has been practicing very well, so it was nice to see it happen in the tournament."
Beginning his 27th straight start posting rounds of 74 and following with a 73, Carlson found himself tied for 43rd after the first day. With five birdies in the final round he closed with a 68 (-2) -- his second sub-70 tally of the year -- to jump 12 spots and close tied for 31st with a 215 total.
Sophomore Brent Ito made his first start of the season and tied for 49th at 220 (72-73-75). In fact, Ito's only other career start was at last year's Jerry Pate National. Freshman Henry Spring tied for 55th at 226 (74-77-75) and senior Ian Kim was 58th at 233 (80-76-77) to balance out U-M's starting five.
"Thinking of our next event, we have played well at Baylor in the past and know the golf course very well," added Whitten. "I think it sets up nicely for us and we will be ready."
The Wolverines will play their final fall-season event heading to Baylor's Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 23-24, for a fourth straight year. The two-day, 54-hole event will be played at the prestigious Royal Oaks Country Club. Last season, U-M was third, paced with top-10 finishes by Mueller (t-6th) and Carlson (t-9th).
Final Team Standings
1. Alabama 271-273-277 = 821 (-19) 2. Auburn 282-278-267 = 827 3. Baylor 269-277-282 = 828 4. Brigham Young 280-271-290 = 841 5. Arkansas 286-269-287 = 842 6. UNLV 277-285-285 = 847 7. Mississippi State 286-288-279 = 853 8. South Alabama 291-274-289 = 854 9. UAB 287-283-288 = 858 10. Charlotte 287-290-284 = 861 11. MICHIGAN 288-285-290 = 863 12. Samford 295-291-298 = 884
Top Individuals
1. Shintaro Ban, UNLV 69-68-63 = 200 (-10)
Mason Overstreet, Arkansas 65-65-70 = 200 (-10)
3. Lee Hodges, Alabama 67-65-69 = 201
4. Matthew Perrine, Baylor 68-66-68 = 202
5. KYLE MUELLER, U-M 68-63-72 = 203
6. Davis Riley, Alabama 67-71-66 = 204
7. Braden Bailey, Baylor 64-69-72 = 205
8. Tanapat Pichaikool, Mississippi State 67-70-69 = 206
9. Patrick Fishburn, Brigham Young 69-68-70 = 207
Brandon Mancheno, Auburn 71-71-65 = 207
Davis Shore, Alabama 69-67-71 = 207
Other Michigan Individuals
T31. Nick Carlson 74-73-68 = 215 T49. Brent Ito 72-73-75 = 220 T55. Henry Spring 74-77-75 = 226 58. Ian Kim 80-76-77 = 233
