Michigan
OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
Thomson Paces U-M at OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
9/22/2024 11:01:00 AM | Men's Golf
» With an 878-team total, Michigan posted a 15th place finish at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at the famed Olympia Fields Country Club. The 15-team field featured 12 of the nation's top 25 programs.
» After a format change to make the second day 36 holes, U-M completed its event Saturday evening.
» After pacing the Wolverines in the opening round with a 68 (-2), Hunter Thomson followed rounds of 71 (+1) and 75 and led the Wolverines tying for 32nd with a 214 (+4) tally.
» Yuqi Liu returned to the starting lineup and following an opening 78, he played even par his final 36 holes with back-to-back 70s as he tied for 53rd (218). He closed with 23 pars, seven birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey.
Site: Olympia Fields, Ill.
Tournament: OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
Course: Olympia Fields Country Club (par 70, 7,353 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 15th Place of 15 Teams (300-290-288/878)
Top U-M Individual: Hunter Thomson, tie-32nd (68-71-75/214, +4)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., Sept. 28-29 -- at Virtues Intercollegiate (Nashport, Ohio)
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. -- Led by seniors Hunter Thomson and Yuqi Liu, the University of Michigan men's golf team finished 15th today (Sunday, Sept. 22) after posting an 878 54-hole team total at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational played at the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club.
Heading to the Windy City for its second event of the week, U-M faced one of its toughest challenges with 12 of the 15 teams in the field ranked among the nation's top 25. Using an opening 68 (-2) from Thomson and a 76 by freshman RJ Arone, the Wolverines posted an opening 300 and positioned themselves 15th after Friday's opening 18 holes.
With expected storms and rainy conditions Sunday, the rules officials altered Saturday's format to a 36-hole day. If teams could not finish, they would return Sunday morning to finish the final round and tournament.
With the new format, U-M improved using an even-par 70 from Liu and a 71 from Thomson to post a 290 in the second round but stayed in the 15th slot. Freshman Dean Muratore used three straight closing birdies to pace a final round 288 for the Maize and Blue while Liu etched a second straight 70 (E) to give the Wolverines an 878 total.
With 12 of the 15 teams finishing Saturday's event, three teams returned to finish two holes Sunday morning. When all was finalized, the Wolverines closed with a 15th-place team finish. Thomson led U-M with his 214 (68-71-75), while Liu tied for 53rd at 218 (78-70-70).
Closing out its fifth straight September weekend event, the Wolverines will head to Nashport, Ohio, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 28-29) to defend their titles at the Virtues Intercollegiate. Last year, the Maize and Blue posted three straight team tallies at -10 or better -- to set the program's second-lowest 54-hole tally at 830 (-34) and win by 23 shots. With 207 (-9) tallies by Ben Hoagland and Liu, the Wolverine duo joined Ohio's Will Kates as tri-medalists.
Final Team Standings
1. Georgia Tech 279-277-272 = 828 (-12)
2. Arizona State 273-276-280 = 829
3. North Carolina 279-277-283 = 839
Oklahoma State 284-277-278 = 839
5. Texas 281-283-279 = 843
6. Stanford 280-285-283 = 848
Texas A&M 286-279-283 = 848
8. Illinois 280-286-283 = 849
9. Florida 279-287-284 = 850
Texas Tech 287-286-277 = 850
Florida State 280-289-281 = 850
12. Alabama 291-286-279 = 856
13. Northwestern 283-285-290 = 858
14. Baylor 295-289-293 = 877
15. MICHIGAN 300-290-288 = 878
Top Individuals
1. Jose Luis Ballester, Arizona State 64-66-70 = 200 (-10)
2. Benjamin Reuter, Georgia Tech 64-70-68 = 202
3. Christiaan Maas, Texas 69-68-66 = 203
Daniel Svard, Northwestern 68-66-69 = 203
5. Ethan Fang, Oklahoma State 68-66-71 = 205
6. Ryan Voois, Illinois 69-69-69 = 207
Luke Potter, Texas 68-68-71 = 207
Luke Clanton, Florida State 68-70-69 = 207
David Ford, North Carolina 68-67-72 = 207
Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech 69-69-69 = 207
Michigan Individuals
T32. Hunter Thomson 68-71-75 = 214 T53. Yuqi Liu 78-70-70 = 218 T65. Dean Muratore 78-75-69 = 222 T69. RJ Arone 76-76-74 = 226 T73. Caden Pinckes 78-74-77 = 229
Players Mentioned
