Michigan
Desert Mountain Collegiate
Wolverines to Close Spring Break by Hosting Desert Mountain Collegiate
3/5/2025 12:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Closing out its spring break training trip, the University of Michigan men's golf team will host the Desert Mountain Collegiate on Saturday and Sunday (March 8-9) at Desert Mountain's Outlaw Course in Scottsdale, Ariz. The event will feature 17 teams competing in a 54-hole tournament over two days. The Outlaw Course will be set up as a par 72, measuring 7,107 yards.
Notes
• The 2025 Desert Mountain Collegiate will feature 17 teams, including Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Grand Canyon, James Madison, Kansas, Kentucky, Lamar, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts, Pacific, Southern Illinois, Utah, UTEP, and VCU.
• Michigan's starting five will include fifth-year senior Ben Hoagland, senior Hunter Thomson, senior Yuqi Liu, freshman RJ Arone, and freshman Dean Muratore. The Wolverines will also have four individuals competing: fifth-year senior Jack O'Donnell, redshirt-freshman Caden Pinckes, freshman Nicolas Simon, and freshman Johnny Solis.
• After a one-year break from hosting, Michigan finished as the runner-up in the 2023 Desert Mountain Collegiate. The Wolverines, hosting for the ninth time, have won the event twice (2017, '22) and have finished second on four occasions (2015, '16, '18, '23). Michigan has had two medalists, with Kyle Mueller (71-70-71) and Charlie Pilon (69-73-70) sharing the honor in 2018 (212, -4).
• Thomson continues to lead Michigan with a career-best 70.13 scoring average. He has recorded 13 rounds under par, including a season-best 66 (-6) in back-to-back rounds during his victory at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational. Thomson has finished as Michigan's top golfer in seven of eight events this season and in 30 of his 44 career tournaments.
• With a runner-up finish at the Border Olympics, Thomson earned his second Big Ten Golfer of the Week honor this season, contributing to three total conference accolades for Michigan. His three consecutive sub-par rounds included a final-round 67 (-4) that secured his seventh career runner-up finish. Earlier in the fall, his win at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational (202, -14) earned him an exemption to compete in the 2025 RBC Canadian Open (June 3-5) at the TPC of Toronto. Liu also received Big Ten recognition after tying for medalist honors (137, -7) at the rain-shortened Virtues Intercollegiate.
• Liu is on pace for a career-best season in his final year, posting a 72.35 scoring average in seven starts. He has recorded a career-high six sub-par rounds, including a career-low-tying 68 (-4) three times.
• Michigan has recorded four consecutive top-five team finishes, including a team victory at the Virtues Intercollegiate (559, -17) and a runner-up finish at the Canadian Collegiate (852, -12). The Wolverines have averaged 287.61 per round, with nine rounds under par, including a season-low 275 (-13) in the final round of the Palmas del Mar Collegiate. Overall, U-M has six top-five finishes in its eight events.
• As a team, Michigan is averaging 73.06 per round. Five Wolverines have shot sub-70 rounds, contributing to a total of 36 under-par rounds and 14 even-par rounds this season.
Players Mentioned
