Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Pilon's Third-Place Finish Guides Men's Golf to Fourth at Big Ten Championships
4/28/2019 4:55:00 PM | Men's Golf
» With a final round 290, Michigan finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships -- its second top-five finish in the last four years.
» Charlie Pilon finished third individually with a 213 (72-72-69) total, one shot back of medalist honors. Pilon's finish is the lowest for a Wolverine in three years (2016).
» Nick Carlson closed his U-M career tying for 11th with a 220 (71-74-75) championship total.
» The final round marked the last event for head coach Chris Whitten as he will leave the program and take over the Golf Association of Michigan.
» U-M's 2018-19 season is now completed.
Site: Flourtown, Pa.
Tournament: Big Ten Championships
Course: Philadelphia Cricket Club Wissahickon Course (par 70, 7,119 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 4th Place of 14 Teams (299-296-290/885)
Top U-M Individual: Charlie Pilon, tie-5th (72-72-69/213, +3)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
FLOURTOWN, Pa. -- Led by sophomore Charlie Pilon's third-place individual finish, the University of Michigan men's golf team used an 885 team tally to finish fourth Sunday (April 28) at the Big Ten Championships at the Philadelphia Cricket Club's Wissahickon Course.
"We needed a fantastic round today to challenge for the win and couldn't come up with enough," said U-M head coach Chris Whitten. "The fact that these guys were in contention in the final round is a big deal. They'll use that experience in the future for sure."
Despite a 71 (+1) from senior Nick Carlson and a 72 (+2) from Pilon, U-M opened the conference championship Friday with a 299, positioning itself 12th in the 14 team field. Returning to the Wissahickon Course on Saturday morning, the Wolverines played relaxed in the day's final pairing and it paid off.
With a second 72 from Pilon, a 73 from sophomore Henry Spring and 74 from Carlson, the Maize and Blue rallied with a 296 -- the day's best round by seven shots -- and was the only team to finish under 300. With the second-round surge, the Wolverines vaulted themselves up the leaderboard jumping eight spots to a tie for fourth with Michigan State.
Using U-M's first sub-par tally of 69 (-1) from Pilon and with the aid of classmate Spring's 71 (+1) the Wolverines closed Sunday posting a 290 total to stay in the fourth position with an 885 championship total. It marks U-M's second top-five finish in the last four years under Whitten, who coached is final U-M event as he will leave the Wolverines to become the executive director for the Golf Association of Michigan.
Individually, Pilon led the Wolverine charge the entire championship and missed out on medalist honors by a single shot as he finished third with a 213 (+3) total. After back-to-back 72s, he closed with his fifth sub-par round of the season with a 69 (-1). Pilon's top-three finish marked the highest for a Wolverine since Kyle Mueller was third at the 2016 championships. Behind Pilon, Carlson posted his career-best finish at the conference championship tying for 11th at 220 (71-74-75), while Spring rallied from a slow start to tie for 21st with a 222 (78-73-71) total.
"Charlie (Pilon) was just great this week. His consistency and even temper paced us the whole way," said Whitten. "Henry (Spring) also gave us some great rounds and is trending the right way. Nick (Carlson) was fighting through injury and didn't have his best swing, but willed his way to finish high in the field. He made a huge mark on this team and likely ended on a high note. I'm very proud of him."
Fifth-year senior Ian Martin competed in his first championship and tied for 56th at 233 (81-77-75). Freshman Patrick Sullivan started for the Wolverines opening with a 78 before falling ill and being unable to compete the remaining 36 holes. With new NCAA policies in place, U-M was able to substitute freshman Ben Dunne, who carded rounds of 78 and 76 in his first Big Ten championship.
With Big Ten's complete, the Wolverines season is over. U-M will now begin its search for Whitten's successor.
"Coaching at Michigan, and especially this year's team, has been so much fun," said Whitten. "I love these guys and I'll miss them a lot. The opportunity to work in this role, at this school has been a complete honor. I'm so proud of the teams we've had, the players I've known and the way we have represented Michigan."
Final Team Standings
1. Illinois 287-303-278 = 868
2. Purdue 282-309-282 = 873
3. Michigan State 291-304-288 = 883
4. MICHIGAN 299-296-290 = 885
5. Nebraska 295-305-286 = 886
6. Rutgers 291-316-280 = 887
7. Ohio State 296-313-281 = 890
Indiana 293-312-285 = 890
9. Minnesota 287-303-304 = 894
10. Penn State 294-317-287 = 898
11. Iowa 293-314-292 = 899
12. Maryland 301-307-293 = 901
13. Northwestern 295-309-298 = 902
14. Wisconsin 302-318-297 = 917
Top Individuals
1. Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Illinois 73-73-66 = 212
Angus Flanagan, Minnesota 65-77-70 = 212
3. CHARLIE PILON, U-M 72-72-69 = 213
4. Christopher Gotterup, Rutgers 69-74-71 = 214
Donnie Trosper, Michigan State 70-70-74 = 214
6. Timmy Hildebrand, Purdue 69-74-72 = 215
7. Giovanni Tadiotto, Illinois 72-76-68 = 216
8. Jarle Volden, Purdue 68-80-70 = 218
9. Shayler Dance, Rutgers 75-78-66 = 219
Peter Knade, Maryland 73-71-75 = 219
Other Michigan Individuals
T11. Nick Carlson 71-74-75 = 220 T21. Henry Spring 78-73-71 = 222 T56. Ian Martin 81-77-75 = 233 -- Ben Dunne NS-78-76 = 154 -- Patrick Sullivan 78-NS-NS = 78
Players Mentioned
