This Week in Michigan Women's Golf: Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational

» Michigan continues its fall season by heading to the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational for the fourth straight year.
» The Wolverines' lineup will feature three freshmen. Mikaela Schulz and Anika Dy will make their first collegiate starts, and Hailey Borja will start her third straight tournament for the Maize and Blue.
» After winning the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational, Mikaela Schulz was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week.
» The Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational features 18 teams with 13 ranked among to top 50 in the nation.

THIS WEEK
Mon-Tue., Oct. 11-13 -- Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Live Scoring | Finley Golf Course

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Next on the Tee: Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational

In what will be another strong test for the University of Michigan women's golf team, the Wolverines head to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, Friday through Sunday (Oct. 11-13), at Finley Golf Course. The three-day, 54-hole event will feature an 18-team field with 13 ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The course will be set up for a par of 72 and 6,379 yards.

The Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational Field

There will be 18 teams in the field at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, including No. 17 Alabama, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 15 Charlotte, No. 28 Clemson, No. 12 Duke, No. 32 Furman, No. 36 Kentucky, No. 37 Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State, North Carolina State, No. 38 North Carolina, Ohio State, Rollins, No. 8 South Carolina, Tulane, UNC-Wilmington, No. 45 Virginia and No. 2 Wake Forest.

The Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational Lineup

Michigan will bring a five-member starting squad to the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational.
• Freshman Hailey Borja (Third career start)
• Freshman Mikaela Schulz (First career start)
• Junior Ashley Kim (22nd career start)
• Freshman Anika Dy (First career start)
• Sophomore Ashley Lau (15th straight start)

The Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational Schedule

Wednesday, Oct. 9 -- Travel Day
Thursday, Oct. 10 -- Practice Round (18), 10:30 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 11 -- First Round (18), 9 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Saturday, Oct. 12 -- Second Round (18), 9 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Sunday, Oct. 13 -- Final Round (18), 9:15 a.m. (shotgun start)

First Round at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational

The Wolverines will be paired with Furman and Clemson for the first round of the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational. The trio will start off No. 1 with the first group teeing off at 10:39 a.m. Friday (Oct. 11). The second- and final-round positioning will be based upon team standings.

Michigan's History at Finley Golf Course

• U-M made its first appearance at Finley Golf Course in the program's first NCAA Regional appearance, in 2001. The Wolverines finished 12th in the 21-team East Regional at 925 (308-308-309).
• During the 2005-06 season, U-M made a stop at Finley Golf Course for a match-play event against UNC Greensboro, winning 5.5-3.5.
• U-M has added four more appearances at Finley Golf Course. The Wolverines finished 18th with a 947 total in the 2012 Tar Heel Invitational, followed by back-to-back 12th-place showings at the Ruth's Chris Invitational in 2016 (894 total) and 2017 (875). The Wolverines placed 14th in 2018 with a 902 tally.
• Last year, Ashley Kim posted a tie for 15th (219, +3), the lowest finish for a Wolverine on the Finley course. In fact, it marked the second straight year Kim led U-M after she tied for 37th (218, +2) in 2017, which included her career low of 66 (-6) in the second round.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan will start three freshman for the first time since the 2014-15 season as Hailey Borja, Mikaela Schulz and Anika Dy all get the nod for Chapel Hill. The last time U-M had three rookies in the lineup was the 2015 Big Ten Championships with Megan Kim, Kathy Lim and Emily White. In fact, the trio started six events together that season.

• It has been quite the start for freshman Hailey Borja. After posting a 217 (+1) total in her collegiate debut at the Glass City Invitational, she repeated the effort with a 217 (+1) total to lead the Wolverines at the Windy City Collegiate Championship. In all, she has posted four of her six rounds this season at par or better, with a career-low 71 (-1) in her first collegiate round.

• Hailey Borja's fourth-place tie at the Glass City Invitational is the best finish for a U-M freshman since 1995. The previous best was by Sharon Park, who finished fifth in her collegiate debut at the Spartan Invitational (Sept. 16-17), exactly 24 years prior to Borja's performance.

• Freshman Mikaela Schulz was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week after winning the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational with a 212 (-4) tally in her collegiate debut. Playing as an individual, Schulz bogeyed her first career hole before rattling off seven birdies for a first-round 68 (-4), tying the 10th-lowest round in U-M history. She followed with back-to-back scores of 72 to claim the title over teammate Ashley Kim (214, -2). It was the first time Schulz was able to compete this season after undergoing summer wrist surgery.

• After 21 straight starts to begin her career, Ashley Kim played as an individual at the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational. She was the runner-up with a 214 (-2) tally. She will return to the starting five in Chapel Hill, where she has finished as the top Wolverine in back-to-back years.

• The Wolverines posted a runner-up team finish with an 874 54-hole total to start the season at the Glass City Invitational. Sophia Trombetta led the Wolverines for the first time in her U-M career as she finished third with a career-low 216 (E) tally, which topped her prior best by 11 shots. Hailey Borja tied for fourth (217) in her collegiate debut, and Hannah Ghelfi helped give U-M three top-10 finishers as she tied for ninth (220).

Up Next

• Fri-Sun., Oct. 25-27 -- Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, N.C.)