Weekly Release #4
10/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sun-Mon., Oct. 24-25 -- at Stetson Hatter Fall Classic (Deland, Fla.)
End of fall season
Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan women's golf team travels south to take in a little sun and warm weather for its last tournament of the fall. The Wolverines head to DeLand, Fla., to participate in Stetson's Hatter Fall Classic Sunday and Monday (Oct. 24-25) to close out the fall season.
Classic Format
The Hatter Fall Classic will be held at the DeLand Country Club in DeLand, Fla., with the course being set up for a par 72, 5819 yard format. The first round will be played Sunday, Oct. 24, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The second and final round will be played Monday beginning at 8 a.m.
Participating Teams
This year the Hatter Fall Classic will feature 14 teams, including Baylor, Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach Community College, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida Southern, Illinois, Jacksonville, Jacksonville State, Lynn, Michigan, Rollins College, Stetson and Troy State.
A Look at Last Year's Classic
Florida Southern won last year's tournament with a 36-hole total of 619. Florida Southern's Shanna Nagy was the medalist with a 145 (72-73, +1).
The Michigan Lineup
Michigan will use six individuals at the Hatter Fall Classic. The lineup is led by freshman Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) and sophomore Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North HS). Sophomore LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), junior Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS), sophomore Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and sophomore Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) round out the field.
Coach Kathy Teichert on the Upcoming Tournament
On the play of her team ... "We are coming off the best rounds of the season. We shot 317, 305 and 307 which is really good for us. We may have not had the finishes we have wanted, but we are continuing to play better and better. I am really excited for us because we are starting to shoot in the 70s and that is building our confidence. We now know we can do it, we just want to continue."
On the Hatter Classic ... "It will be interesting because we don't know that much about the schools we are playing, in terms of where they are. We are coming down for our last tournament and some of the schools could be on their first. I have to think that we rank pretty high in that group though. We just need to continue from where we left off."
On the Florida weather affecting play ... "It's going to be nice. Hopefully, we will have good weather while were down there. If the weather is good down there, the ball will fly further than up here. About this time up here, what you hit is what you are going to get. So, it will be interesting to see what we can do."
On her goals for the Classic ... "I just want to improve and stay on the same path we have been on. I would be happy with that. I also want to put down as many 70s as possible."
Trend Snapped at Wolverine Invitational, Started at Shootout
After finishing the first two tournaments of the season with 10th-place finishes, Michigan snapped the trend with a fourth-place team finish at its Wolverine Invitational Oct. 9-10 at the U-M Golf Course.
Michigan's Blue team finished in the fourth position after firing rounds of 327-323 for a 650 total, while Michigan's Maize team followed in a tie for ninth with Illinois after rounds of 347-329 for a 676 total.
But the trend started again a day after the Wolverine Invitational as the Wolverines finished 10th for the third time in four tournaments at the Shootout at the Legends in Franklin, Ind., Oct. 11-12. The Wolverines finished with round scores of 317-305-307 for a 54-hole tournament total of 929.
Bowers Continues to Impress in Final Rounds
After leading the Wolverines in the opening tournament of the season, sophomore Bess Bowers continues to show her consistent play during the early fall season and comeback ability in the final round of her last two tournaments.
At the Wolverine Invitational, Bowers fired an opening-round 82 to leave her tied for 14th overall at the Invitational and the third best score on Michigan's Blue team. She adjusted on the second day, shooting a team-best 79 to finished tied for 10th overall and lead the Blue squad at the Invitational.
At the Shootout at the Legends, Bowers opened the tournament with a season-best score of 70 but fell off the second round, firing a 79. But again, Bowers recovered with a final round of 74 to finish tied for 35th.
Freshman Finding Niche
In her first collegiate tournament, Kim Benedict finished tied for 63rd. In her second collegiate tournament, she finished tied for 26th. The climb up the tournament ladder continued for the freshman as she has finished the last two tournaments in the top 20. Benedict finished tied for 16th at the Wolverine Invitational Oct. 9-10 and followed that with a tie for 13th at the Shootout at the Legends Oct. 11-12.
Lowering the Average
Sophomore LeAnna Wicks continues to lower her scoring average during the fall season. After hitting for an 83.95 per round average last season, Wicks has been consistent this season as she has lowered her average by three strokes to 80.63. She recorded as career-best round of 74 at the Shootout at the Legends.
Benedict and Bowers Battle for top spot
Freshman Kim Benedict and sophomore Bess Bowers continue to battle for the 1-2 spots on the Wolverine squad. Both are tied for the team lead with a scoring average of 79.36. Both have played in all four tournaments this season, shooting a season total of 873.
In addition, both have led the Wolverines twice at tournaments this season -- Bowers at the Lady Northern and Wolverine Invitational and Benedict at the Mary Fossum Invitational and Shootout at the Legends.
The only edge either has is Benedict has fired a better 54-hole total with 224, compared to Bowers' best of 233. But Bowers has fired a better 36-hole total with 161, compared with Benedict's 163.
Mac Adams Hits Mark Again and Again
Sophomore Stephanie Mac Adams (Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS) continues to improve as the fall season rolls along. MacAdams rolled through the Wolverine Invitational, finishing tied for 16th to lead the Maize team. After her performance, she qualified for the Shootout at the Legends the next day. She had a shaky 86 in the first round but recovered with an 81 and 80 to continue to get more and more comfortable.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
