Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverines Use Back-Nine Rally to Open Big Ten Championships in Eighth
5/1/2026 9:17:00 PM | Men's Golf
» Playing the back nine at 2-under, Michigan posted a 288 total to sit eighth after the opening round of the Big Ten Championships at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
» After sitting at 3-over through his first six holes, RJ Arone rallied with five birdies over his final 12 holes to card an even-par 70 and sit tied for 11th.
» Nilay Naik (72; T25) and Jordan Hwang (73; T42) followed, helping fuel the Wolverines' back-nine push.
Site: North Plains, Ore.
Tournament: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 3)
Course: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course (par 70, 7,018 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 8th Place of 18 (288) after Day 1
Top U-M Individual: RJ Arone, tie-11th (70, E)
Next U-M Round: Saturday, May 2 -- at Big Ten Championships (North Plains, Ore.), 9:30 a.m. PT (tee times)
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. -- The University of Michigan men's golf team used a steady back-nine surge Friday (May 1) to open the 2026 Big Ten Championships with a 288 team total, positioning the Wolverines eighth after the first round at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.
After a slow start on the opening nine, Michigan found itself at 14-over-par at the turn. The Wolverines flipped the momentum on the back side, combining for nine birdies against just seven bogeys to play the final nine at 2-under and climb into the top half of the standings in the 5-count-4 format.
Sophomore RJ Arone led U-M with an even-par 70 and is tied for 11th individually. After a tough start through his first six holes, Arone responded with five birdies to battle back to even and anchor the Wolverines' lineup.
Playing less than 30 minutes from his hometown of Lake Oswego, Ore., sophomore Nilay Naik followed with a 72 and is tied for 25th. Freshman Jordan Hwang and sophomore Dean Muratore each added 73s and are tied for 42nd, while redshirt junior Jason Gordon posted a 74 and is tied for 58th.
Illinois' Freddie Turnell, Northwestern's Jeremy Chen and UCLA's Josh Kim share the individual lead at 67 (-3). The Illini hold the team lead at 279 (-1), two shots clear of UCLA and Washington, who each posted 281 (+1).
Michigan continues the Big Ten Championships on Saturday (May 2) at 9:30 p.m. PT, playing with Rutgers and Oregon at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course.
Team Standings (After Day 1 of 3)
 1. Illinois        279 (-1)  2. UCLA            281    Washington      281  4. Nebraska        284  5. Minnesota       285    Northwestern    285  7. Rutgers         287  8. MICHIGAN        288  9. Oregon          290 10. Maryland        291 11. Penn State      293    USC             293    Iowa            293 14. Indiana         294 15. Purdue          295 16. Wisconsin       296 17. Ohio State      297 18. Michigan State  298
Top Individuals
1. Freddie Turnell, Illinois           67 (-3)    Jeremy Chen, Northwestern            67    Josh Kim, UCLA                       67  4. Emil Borrestuen Herstad, Washington  68    Max Herendeen, Illinois              68  6. Jaden Dumdumaya, USC                 69    Baylor Larrabee, UCLA                69    Jackson Benge, Nebraska              69    Chun-Ta Wu, Minnesota                69    Vaughn Harber, Ohio State            69
Michigan Individuals
T11. RJ Arone       70 (E) T25. Nilay Naik     72 T42. Jordan Hwang   73 T42. Dean Muratore   73 T58. Jason Gordon   74
Players Mentioned
