Season Review: 2023-24 Michigan Men's Golf
6/5/2024 5:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
• Regular Season: 11 events (eight top-five finishes)
• Big Ten Championships: T10th (907)
• NCAA Regional: individual, Hunter Thomson (t-27th; 218, +2)
The University of Michigan men's golf team continued its upward trend under the guidance of head coach Zach Barlow. With eight top-five finishes in the regular season, two team titles and three medalists, Barlow's Wolverines closed the season tying for 10th at the Big Ten Championships and returning to the NCAA postseason with Hunter Thomson's invitation.
Team Highlights
• For the first time in six years, a Wolverine headed to the NCAA postseason after Thomson was selected as an individual participant for the West Lafayette (Ind.) Regional at Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. With his 218 (+2) total, he tied for 27th.
• U-M's 834 (-30) season-opening tally at the Island Resort Intercollegiate marked the second-lowest 54-hole team tournament total in program history. With career lows from Ben Hoagland (64, -8) and Thomson (65, -7), U-M posted a 273 (-15) second-round team total, giving the Wolverines their fourth lowest all-time tally.
• With two medalists, four Wolverines among the top eight, and an 830 (-34) team total, Michigan dominated the inaugural Virtues Intercollegiate to win its second team title by 23 shots at the Virtues Golf Club. With totals of 207 (-9), Hoagland (68-73-66) and Yuqi Liu (70-68-69), tied with Ohio's Will Kates (69-69-69) for medalist honors. The shared title was the first for both Hoagland and Liu.
• Jude Kim and Jason Gordon played as individuals at the Indy at Forest Hills. They finished 1-2 in the individual standings after 36-hole tallies of 139 (-1) and 140 (E), respectively, at Forest Hills Country Club. It was the first career win for Kim.
• With its 287.64 team scoring average, Michigan smashed the program's all-time single-season record by almost three shots. The previous mark was a 290.21 average during the 2015-16 campaign.
• U-M etched 22 of its 36 team rounds under par, with five in double-digits, including the fourth lowest all-time at 273 (-15) in the second round of the Island Resort Intercollegiate. In the fall season, U-M shot under par in 11-of-15 rounds and opened the spring season with 11 straight sub-par team totals.
Individual Highlights
• Thomson was named to the All-Big Ten first team, becoming the first Wolverine in six years to receive the conference accolade. He is the first Wolverine to earn first-team honors since 2018 when former U-M great Kyle Mueller earned a spot for the third straight season.
• In addition to his conference honor, Thomson was selected for the PING/GCAA All-Midwest Region team. He is the first Wolverine in four seasons to earn a spot on the team and the first since Brent Ito in 2020.
• Thomson paced the Wolverines in 10 of his 13 events and won his first collegiate event at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate with a career-low 201 (68-69-64) 54-hole total. He added a pair of runner-up finishes at the Island Resort Intercollegiate and the Everett Buick GMC Classic. In the postseason, Thomson posted a second straight top-10 finish at the Big Ten Championships, tying for eighth, and played in his first NCAA regional, tying for 27th.
• With his 70.56 scoring average, Thomson set a new Wolverine single-season record, topping Kyle Mueller's 70.76 average in the 2017-18 season. They are the only two Wolverines in program history to average below 71. Thomson recorded 22 of his 39 round tallies under par, 16 of them sub-70 scores including a career-low 64 (-8) in the final round of the Palmas del Mar Collegiate.
• Hoagland tripled his single-season sub-par total with 12, including a career-low 64 (-8) at the Island Resort Intercollegiate becoming one of eight Wolverines that helped record the second-lowest score in program history. His 72.61 scoring average was a career low by just over two shots (74.96; 2022-23). He had five sub-par 54-hole totals, including a career-low 206 (-10) at the Island Resort Intercollegiate.
• With three sub-par 54-hole totals and a career-best 10 sub-par rounds, Will Anderson closed his career in grand fashion posting his career-low 72.75 per-round average. He closed his career by starting the last 26 tournaments -- spanning three seasons.
• In addition to his first career medalist honor (Virtues Intercollegiate), Liu was one of four Wolverines to play in every event and finished with a career-low 73.81 per-round average. Twice he fired a career-low 68 (-4) -- in the second rounds of the Highlands Invitational and the Virtues Intercollegiate. Liu extended his streak of starts, closing the season given the nod in 21 straight.
• Starting five of his 10 events, Jack O'Donnell posted a career-best scoring average of 74.87, dropping more than three shots from any prior season. He added a career-low 214 (-2) 54-hole total at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate.
Honors and Awards
Will
Anderson
Ben
Hoagland
Jude
Kim
Yuqi
Liu
Jack
O'Donnell
Hunter
Thomson
PING/GCAA
All-Midwest Region: Hunter Thomson
Big Ten Conference
All-Big Ten (First Team): Hunter Thomson
Sportsmanship Award: Jack O'Donnell
Golfer of the Week: Hunter Thomson (Sept. 6, Feb. 14), Jude Kim (Feb. 21)
Academic All-Big Ten
Will Anderson, Sr. (Sport Management)
Ben Hoagland, Jr. (Political Science)
Jude Kim, Sr. (Business Administration)
Yuqi Liu, Jr. (Economics)
Jack O'Donnell, Sr. (Business Administration)
Hunter Thomson, Jr. (Sport Management)
Players Mentioned
