Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Record-Setting Performance Leads U-M to Runner-Up Finish at Big Tens
4/25/2021 8:01:00 PM | Women's Golf
» With its second straight U-M Big Ten Championships record 284 (-4) team tally, Michigan tied as the runner-up at the Big Ten Championships with Maryland and Nebraska.
» U-M's 858 (-6) 54-hole total set the program's lowest team score at the conference championship by seven shots and was the first sub-par team tally.
» Junior Ashley Lau used three straight sub-par rounds to tie for third at 211 (-5), the second-lowest 54-hole individual total in program history.
» Freshman Monet Chun tied for ninth with a 215 (-1), the lowest freshman 54-hole total at the conference tournament.
Site: Maineville, Ohio
Tournament: Big Ten Championships
Course: TPC River's Bend (par 72, 6,300 yards)
U-M Team Standing: Tie-2nd place of 13 teams (290-284-284/858, -6)
Top U-M Individual: Ashley Lau, tie-3rd (71-70-70/211, -5)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Wed., May 10-12 -- at NCAA Regional (TBA, NCAA selected)
MAINEVILLE, Ohio -- With a dramatic eagle from freshman Monet Chun and a second straight U-M conference tournament record 284 (-4), the No. 22-ranked and No. 2-seeded University of Michigan women's golf team tallied the program's lowest 54-hole Big Ten Championships total with an 858 (-6) today (Sunday, April 25) to tie as the runner-up -- with Maryland and Nebraska -- at the conference tournament played at the TPC River's Bend.
The runner-up finish is U-M's best finish at the conference championships in 16 years (2005; second) and marks just the second time the Wolverines closed as the runner-up. In fact, the 2021 finish is just the third top-three team finish and 11th top-five in program history.
"It was an exciting weekend for our team," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "We knew we needed a special final round, and was able to put together a four-under round. When it was all said and done, we came up short but there are so many positives to take away from the week. It was a total team effort from top to bottom of the lineup all weekend, which we knew we needed to get into contention. And, we get to use this great experience to head into NCAAs in a few weeks."
After a two-hour delay due to frost in Friday's (April 23) opening round, junior Ashley Lau and Chun paced the Maize and Blue to the third position after an opening 290 following rounds of 71 (-1) from both Wolverines to tie them for fifth individually.
Battling winds, rain and chilly temperatures in Saturday's (April 24) second round, the Wolverines did not relent as Lau and junior Sophia Trombetta each fired 70s (-2) while Chun and sophomore Hailey Borja had even-par 72s to give U-M its conference team-round record of 284 (-4). With the record total, U-M maintained its third-place position, while Lau moved into third individually, just two shots out of the individual lead.
In today's final round, Lau used six birdies to post a second 70 (-2), while sophomore Mikaela Schulz used five birdies to close with a 71 (-1), while classmate Borja followed with a 71 (-1) of her own. Despite those three tallies, it came down to the final hole for Chun and the Wolverines.
With Nebraska posting a 281 (-7) in the final round, the Maize and Blue slipped into the fourth spot. After Chun blasted her drive, she used her hybrid from 192 away to make the green in two on the par 5, 18th hole. With an 18-foot putt for eagle, the freshman drained it to help the Wolverines vault into a tie for the second position as they carded a second straight 284 (-4) and closed with the record 858 (-6) championships total.
For the fourth straight event, Lau guided the Maize and Blue as she tied for third with a 211 (-5) championships tally -- the second-lowest 54-hole individual score in program history (Elodie Van Dievoet; 210, -6 in 2017). Posting the second most birdies during the weekend (14), Lau used three straight sub-par rounds to record her career-low at 211. Lau now holds the top three 54-hole totals on the second and extended her sub-par round streak to five straight.
"I headed into this week with confidence from my recent win," said Lau. "My hitting was not as good as it has been but it was good enough for me to get it on the green and give myself opportunities to score. This course is tough and I had to stay patient throughout. I was so pleased with how I played."
"Ashley is just so tough," added Dowling. "She caught a couple bad breaks out there and handled it with pure class. It's a sign of a great player that she was able to focus back in after two tough holes. We are proud of her, and she's been a leader for us all spring."
Chun continues to have a stellar rookie campaign as she posted her fifth top-15 individual finish of the season, tying for ninth with the lowest freshman 54-hole total in program history at 215 (-1), which also tied her career best. Her sub-par total was also just the fourth all-time at the conference championship.
With Lau and Chun's individual finishes, it marks the first time since 2012 (nine years) U-M had two Wolverines finish among the top-10 at the Big Ten Championships. In fact, it is just the fourth time in program history (1997, 2005, 2012, 2021).
In addition to Lau and Chun, U-M had three other Wolverines finish among the top-25 as Borja tied for 16th at 218 (75-72-71), Trombetta tied for 22nd at 221 (74-70-77) and Schulz tied for 24th at 222 (74-77-71).
The Wolverines will now await their NCAA Regional placement with a live reveal on Wednesday, April 28, on the Golf Channel at 2 p.m. There are four NCAA regional sites -- LSU (Louisiana University Club), Ohio State (Scarlet Course), Louisville (Louisville Golf Club) and Stanford (Stanford Golf Course).
Each site will include 18 teams and six individuals, with the top six teams (24 teams total) and the low three individuals (12 individuals total) not on an advancing team heading to the national championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Final Team Standings
1. Michigan State 286-281-286 = 853 (-11)
2. Maryland 287-280-291 = 858
MICHIGAN 290-284-284 = 858
Nebraska 293-284-281 = 858
5. Northwestern 291-286-290 = 867
6. Penn State 297-292-292 = 881
7. Purdue 295-291-299 = 885
8. Wisconsin 310-282-299 = 891
9. Illinois 299-299-297 = 895
10. Iowa 297-296-304 = 897
11. Minnesota 305-290-306 = 901
12. Rutgers 298-302-307 = 907
13. Indiana 320-301-297 = 91
Top Individuals
1. Kate Smith, Nebraska 72-71-64 = 207 (-9)
2. Irene Kim, Northwestern 73-70-67 = 210
3. ASHLEY LAU, U-M 71-70-70 = 211
Valery Plata, Michigan State 75-68-68 = 211
5. Xiaolin Tian, Maryland 72-69-71 = 212
6. Sarah Willis, Penn State 75-67-71 = 213
Laura Van Respaille, Maryland 70-69-74 = 213
8. Paz Marfa, Michigan State 72-72-70 = 214
9. MONET CHUN, U-M 71-72-72 = 215
Kelly Sim, Northwestern 73-71-71 = 215
Other Michigan Individuals
T16. Hailey Borja 75-72-71 = 218 T22. Sophia Trombetta 74-70-77 = 221 T24. Mikaela Schulz 74-77-71 = 222 T48. Ashley Kim 74-77-77 = 228
Players Mentioned
