Michigan
Palmas del Mar Collegiate
Thomson's 64 Helps Him to Individual Title at Palmas del Mar, U-M Finishes Fourth
2/13/2024 3:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
» With a third straight sub-par team tally, Michigan used a final round 280 (-8) and posted an 848 (-16) 54-hole team total to finish fourth at the spring opener -- the Palmas del Mar Collegiate in Puerto Rico.
» With a clean sheet (eight birdies, 10 pars), and career-best 64 (-8), Hunter Thomson won his first collegiate title with a career-best 201 (68-69-64, -15) total -- the second lowest U-M 54-hole total of all-time.
» With three straight sub-par rounds, Thomson now has 12 of 18 rounds this season in the red. His 201 (-15) is his fifth sub-par 54-hole total in six events and the 13th of his career
» Will Anderson's 212 (-4) total helped him to tie for 16th and give him his 14th career top-20 finish.
Site: Humacao, Puerto Rico
Tournament: Palmas del Mar Collegiate (Day 3 of 3)
Course: Palmas del Mar-Flamboyan Course, Rees Jones (par 72, 7,122 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 4th of 16 Teams (285-283-280/848, -16)
Top U-M Individual: Hunter Thomson, 1st (68-69-64/201, -15)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Tue., Feb. 19-20 -- Border Olympics (Laredo, Texas)
HUMACAO, Puerto Rico -- Paced by Hunter Thomson's first career medalist honor, the University of Michigan men's golf team opened its spring season posting a 16-under 848 team total giving it a fourth-place finish on Tuesday (Feb. 13) at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate on the Flamboyan Course at the Palmas del Mar Resort.
The top-five finish for the Maize and Blue is its fifth in six events this season. After etching three straight sub-par team scores, the Wolverines' total is the fourth sub-par 54-hole tally, and third lowest, of the season. U-M, which averages 282.7 per team round, has 14 of 18 team rounds under par.
With an eight-birdie, 10-par clean sheet final round, and new career-low 64 (-8), Thomson jumped four spots on the final day to win the individual title by two shots with a career-best 201 (-15) 54-hole total. After four career runner-up finishes, Thomson earned his first title and became the fourth Wolverine to post a win this season.
After opening with rounds of 68 (-4) and 69 (-3), Thomson used his final-round 64 (-8) to tie U-M's second lowest single-round total in program history. He is the second Wolverine to do so this season after Ben Hoagland shot a 64 (-8) in the second round of the season-opening Island Resort Intercollegiate (Sept. 3-4).
Compiling three sub-par tallies, Thomson's 201 (-15) also set a new career low, but also marked the second lowest 54-hole total in U-M history -- sitting behind former All-American Kyle Mueller's record 198 at the 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitational. Thomson now has 13 sub-par 54-hole totals in 29 events.
"Hunter has been knocking on the door for an individual win for a very long time," said head coach Zach Barlow. "He's an elite player with elite habits, so it was just a matter of time for him to get in the winner's circle. We are very proud of the work he puts in and the way he carries himself on a daily basis."
Behind Thomson, senior Will Anderson posted the 14th top-20 finish of his career after his 212 (-4, 73-69-70) performance in Puerto Rico. Playing as an individual, redshirt-junior Jack O'Donnell carded a career-best 214 (-2) 54-hole total to tie for 21st.
"Team-wise, Hunter carried us obviously. It's always nice to have an 'eraser score' every round to make up for a few mistakes from other guys," said Barlow. "We have to have more production from the bottom of the lineup moving forward if we want to reach the goals we set for the season. We pride ourselves in having a deep team, but we have to start showing that more consistently. Luckily, we have a quick turnaround and head to Laredo at the end of the week where we will look to get back on track and have a total team effort."
That turnaround trip to Laredo, Texas, will be for Houston's Border Olympics next Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 19-20).
Final Team Standings
1. Arkansas 281-276-280 = 837 (-27) 2. UNC Greensboro 285-272-287 = 844 3. Kennesaw State 280-281-284 = 845 4. MICHIGAN 285-283-280 = 848 (-16) 5. Rutgers 286-287-277 = 850 6. Elon 291-289-276 = 856 Wofford College 287-288-281 = 856 8. Mercer 287-293-277 = 857 Connecticut 288-292-277 = 857 10. Drexel 286-289-284 = 859 11. Boston College 294-284-284 = 862 12. Temple 288-290-287 = 865 13. High Point 291-283-292 = 866 14. Virginia Tech 290-292-287 = 869 15. Samford 304-296-290 = 890 16. Bucknell 306-299-296 = 901
Top Individuals
1. HUNTER THOMSON, U-M 68-69-64 = 201 (-15) 2. Tobias Jonsson, Mercer 69-67-67 = 203 3. Tommy Dallahan, UConn 69-69-67 = 205 4. Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State 70-66-70 = 206 5. Xavier Marcoux, Rutgers 68-70-69 = 207 Matthew Larkin, Wofford College 71-70-66 = 207 7. John Driscoll, Arkansas 69-67-72 = 208 John Daly II, Arkansas 71-68-69 = 208 Matt Doyle, Elon 67-74-67 = 208 10. Symon Balbin, UNCG 68-67-74 = 209
Other Michigan Individuals
T16. Will Anderson 73-69-70 = 212 (-4) T48. Yuqi Liu 73-73-73 = 219 T57. Jude Kim 75-72-73 = 220 T71. Ben Hoagland 71-78-74 = 223 T21. Jack O'Donnell 72-71-71 = 214* (-2) * playing as individuals
Players Mentioned
