This Week in Michigan Men's Golf: NCAA Championships

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Honors & Awards: 2017-18 | Scholar Story: Kyle Mueller

THIS WEEK
• Fri-Mon., May 25-28 -- NCAA Championships (Stillwater, Okla.)
Live Scoring | NCAA Championships | Tickets

Next on the Tee: NCAA Championships
Postseason continues again! After winning the NCAA Columbus Regional, senior Kyle Mueller advances to the NCAA Championships for the second time in his career. One of six individuals to move on, Mueller heads to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to play for the individual national title at the Karsten Creek Golf Club, Friday through Monday, May 25-28. Mueller will play 54 holes before the first cut. The top 15 teams and top nine individuals, not from a qualifying team, advance to Monday's final 18 holes to determine the national champion. The championship course will be set up for a par of 72 at 7,460 yards.

The NCAA Finals Format
The 2018 finals format will consist of three days (54 holes) of stroke play for all competitors, Friday through Sunday (May 25-27). Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will advance for one additional day of stroke play Monday (May 28) to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. After Monday, the top eight teams advance to match play for the team championship.

The NCAA Championships Field
A total of 30 teams and six individuals advanced from the six NCAA regional sites. The 30 teams advancing to the NCAA Finals include: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Augusta, Baylor, Brigham Young, Central Florida, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, NC State, North Carolina, North Florida, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, UNLV and Vanderbilt. The six individuals include: Charles Corner (UTEP), George Cunningham (Arizona), Joshua McCarthy (Pepperdine), Kyle Mueller (Michigan), Pontus Nyholm (Campbell) and Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss).

The NCAA Championships Schedule
Wednesday, May 23 -- Travel Day
Thursday, May 24 -- Practice Round (18), 9 a.m. CDT (shotgun off No. 9)
Friday, May 25 -- First Round (18), 2:32 p.m. CDT (No. 1 tee)
Saturday, May 26 -- Second Round (18), 9:12 a.m. CDT (No. 10 tee)
Sunday, May 27 -- Third Round (18), TBD (No. 10 tee)
Monday, May 28 -- Final Round (18), TBD (No. 1 tee), if advance

Mueller in the NCAA Postseason
Kyle Mueller has made four straight NCAA postseason appearances and advanced to the NCAA Finals twice.
• 2015 (T-2nd; 207, -9) | advanced to NCAA Finals (T-94th, 229)
• 2016 (T-56th; 220)
• 2017 (t-8th; 212, -1)
• 2018 (1st; 208, -8) | advanced to NCAA Finals (tbd)

Michigan in the NCAA Postseason
This year's NCAA regional selection marked U-M's 41st NCAA postseason appearance and the program's 13th regional since the format changed to regional play in 1989. The Wolverines have participated as a team in six Central Regionals (1995, 1997, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2011), two Washington Regionals (2015, 2017), the Southwest Regional (2009) and the Franklin Regional (2016). The Wolverines add three regional invitations in 2012 (Matt Thompson), 2014 (Chris O'Neill) and 2018 (Kyle Mueller). U-M has made 22 NCAA team final appearances, winning back-to-back national titles in 1934 and 1935. The Wolverines have also had 11 individuals advance to the NCAA Finals, with the last by Mueller in 2015 and 2018.

Michigan NCAA Recent NCAA History
• 1995: Central -- 12th (890)
• 1997: Central -- 8th (874)
• 2000: Central -- T-11th (866)
• 2008: Central -- T-12th (904)
• 2009: Southwest -- 5th (888) - advanced to NCAA Finals
         • 2009: NCAA Finals -- advanced to NCAA Match Play
         • 2009: NCAA Championship -- Match Play Semifinalist
• 2010: Central -- T-6th (848)
• 2011: Central -- 1st (841) - advanced to NCAA Finals
         • 2011: NCAA Finals -- T-10th (892)
• 2012: Central: No Team Score -- Matt Thompson played as individual
• 2014: Central: NTS - Chris O'Neill played as individual
• 2015: Washington -- 7th (863) -- Kyle Mueller advanced to NCAA Finals
         • 2015: NCAA Finals - NTS - Mueller played as individual, tying for 94th
• 2016: Franklin -- 10th (872)
• 2017: Washington -- 10th (886)
• 2018: Columbus: NTS - Kyle Mueller playing as individual
         • 2018: NCAA Finals - NTS - Mueller played as individual

WOLVERINE BITES

• Kyle Mueller stayed among the top 15 in the individual rankings by GolfWeek and Golfstat for collegiate golfers. He is currently (May 18) ranked 11th in the country by Golfweek with a 69.17 rating and is sixth (70.37) among the Golfstat Division I ratings (May 19). He is the top-rated Big Ten player -- Illinois' Nick Hardy (No. 14 & No. 17) [ Golfweek | Golfstat ]

• Saying Kyle Mueller's final season has continued to be special would be an understatement. After leading U-M in nine of the 12 events with 10 sub-par performances, he is averaging 70.23 per round average -- setting the Wolverine single season record for the third straight season.

• Kyle Mueller earned his fourth All-Big Ten selection becoming the first Wolverine to receive the conference accolade in four straight years. This season he added his third straight first-team honor becoming the second Wolverine in program history to earn three first team, joining Michael Harris, who was a three-time first-teamer (1998-2000).

• Earlier in the spring, Kyle Mueller was named the award recipient for the David Toms Overcoming Adversity Award. He was a finalist for two of college golf's top awards -- the 2018 Byron Nelson Award presented by Srixon Golf & Cleveland Golf as well as the 2018 Haskins Award. [ David Toms Award ]

• With his start in the NCAA Championships, Kyle Mueller will not only close out his collegiate career, but he will have started 50 straight tournaments -- not missing an event in his entire four-year career -- freshman (13), sophomore (11), junior (13) and senior (13).

• So far this season, 22 of Kyle Mueller's 31 rounds have been under-par with 11 sub-70 rounds -- including a U-M record 63 (-7) carded in the second round of the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. Breaking down further his season, he has 22 below par rounds, two even par and has not carded a round higher than 75 this season. Mueller is the only Wolverine in history to finish a season with a sub-72 scoring average -- something he has done the last three seasons. Overall, Mueller has recorded 63 sub-par scores in 130 rounds (48 percent).

• With his 70.32 scoring average -- after the Big Ten Tournament -- Kyle Mueller became the first Wolverine to earn the Big Ten's Les Bolstad Award for lowest conference scoring average. In fact, his average ranks as the third lowest in Big Ten history trailing Indiana's Jeff Overton's record of 69.87 (2005) and Northwestern's Dylan Wu's 70.27 average in 2017.

• Adding to his list of records at Michigan, Kyle Mueller became the first Wolverine to shoot 63 (-7) snapping the record of 64 held by four Wolverines, including Mueller himself. All five of U-M's top rounds of all time were recorded in the fall as well as in the second round of each event. In Mueller's record round, he recorded eight birdies, one bogey and nine pars which saw a final-round 10-foot birdie putt for the record.

U-M's Top 5 Single Rounds
63 (-7), Kyle Mueller at 2017 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Oct. 9-10)
64 (-7), Kyle Mueller at 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitational (Oct. 12-13)
64 (-8), Bill Rankin at 2008 Bridgestone Intercollegiate (Oct. 27-28)
64 (-7), Christian Vozza at 2005 Alister MacKenzie Invitational (Oct. 10-11)
64 (-7), Michael Harris at 1998 Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 18-19)

• Kyle Mueller, who has 10 top-12 finishes this season, won back-to-back events earlier this spring after tying for the victory at the Desert Mountain with a 212 (-4) tally, while he rallied in the final round of the Southwestern Jones Invitational with a 208 (-8) total. He added the NCAA Columbus Regional title with a 208 (-5) tally to give his three trophies and tie Michael Harris' U-M record of six career wins.

Mueller's Career Wins
#1 Sept. 6-7, 2014, Wolverine Intercollegiate, 67-70-69 = 206 (-7), first collegiate event
#2 Sept. 25-26, 2016, Windon Memorial Classic, 71-71-67 = 209 (-7)
#3 April 1-2, 2017, The Aggie Invitational, 69-69 = 138 (-6), shortened due to weather
#4 Feb. 26-27, 2018, Southwestern Jones Invitational, 71-71-66 = 208 (-8)
#5 March 3-4, 2018, Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, 71-70-71 = 212 (-4), shared with teammate Charlie Pilon
#6 May 14-16, 2018, NCAA Central Regional, 73-69-66 = 208 (-5), second Wolverine to win regional medalist

• Kyle Mueller has continued to etch his name into the Michigan record books ever since he first stepped on campus. Below is just a sample of some of the 14 records he has established with the Wolverines.

Mueller's List of Michigan Records
• U-M single season scoring average: 70.23 (2017-18)
• Only Wolverine in history to post sub-72 averages - 71.72 (2015-16), 71.36 (2016-17) & 70.23 (2017-18)
• First Wolverine to lead team in scoring in all four seasons
• First Wolverine to earn Big Ten's Les Bolstad Award for lowest conference scoring average (2017-18)
• U-M season scoring (by class): freshman (72.56), sophomore (71.72), junior (71.36) & senior (70.23)
• U-M career scoring average: 71.60 (49 events, 130 rounds, 9,308 total)
• U-M career individual wins (6): tied with Michael Harris (1997-2000)
• U-M single-round: 63 (-7), second round at 2017 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate (Oct. 9-10)
• U-M 36-hole tournament: 135 (68-67, -7) at the 2017 Inverness Intercollegiate (Sept. 18-19)
• U-M 54-hole tournament: 198 (69-64-65, -15) at 2015 MacKenzie (Oct. 12-13)
• First Wolverine to post a sub-200 tournament total
• U-M 54-hole Big Ten Tournament: 209 (69-73-67, -7) at 2016 conference event

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyle Mueller

Charlie Pilon

University of Michigan Athletics