Weekly Release #4
10/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Upcoming Schedule
Mon-Tue., Oct. 9-10 -- at Xavier Invitational (Mason, Ohio)
Fri-Sat., Oct. 27-29 -- at The Nelson Invitational (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan men's golf team will head down to Mason, Ohio, to defend its team title at the Xavier Invitational on Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 9-10) at the Grizzly Tournament Course, which is part of the Golf Center at Kings Island. The 20-team Invitational field will feature five Big Ten Conference teams, six Mid-American Conference schools and eight other NCAA District IV teams. The Grizzly will be set up for a par of 71 and 6,808 yards for the 54-hole tournament.
Invitational Teams
The Xavier Invitational features 20 teams from across the Midwest and NCAA District IV. The list of participants includes: Air Force, Akron, Ball State, Cincinnati, Columbus State, Dayton, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Ohio, Penn State, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, Wright State and Xavier.
Invitational Schedule
The Xavier Invitational will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Monday (Oct. 9) followed by 18 on Tuesday (Oct. 10).
| Sunday, Oct. 8 | Practice Round | 1 p.m. (shotgun start) |
| Monday, Oct. 9 | First Round | 8:30 a.m. (shotgun start) |
| | Second Round | 1:30 p.m. (shotgun start) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 10 | Final Round | 8 a.m. (tee times) |
Scoring Format
Scoring for the Xavier Invitational will be five players, count the low four scores each round.
The Michigan Lineup
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Xavier Invitational. Fifth-year senior Scott Hayes (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester HS) and redshirt freshman Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) head up the squad. Junior Andy Matthews (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) and freshman David Nichols (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) fill up the middle portion of the team card. The fifth spot will be up for grabs as the Wolverines compete for the final spot during the week's qualifier.
Last Year's Xavier Invitational ... Wolverines Take Home Title
The Wolverines placed four golfers in the top 15 and won their first tournament in nearly three years as they walked away with the 1999 Xavier Invitational title. The Wolverines led from start to finish in the 54-hole tournament as they finished with round scores of 292-281-292 for a three-round total of 865 to win by two strokes. The title marked the first tournament the Wolverines had won in 35 tries. The last previous title came Oct. 5-6, 1996, when Michigan hosted and won the Wolverine Invitational at the U-M Golf Course.
Andy Matthews paced the way for the Wolverines as he finished tied for seventh. Matthews fired a 74 in the first round of the Invitational but fired back with a season-best 68 in the second round to climb the leaderboard. He closed out with a 72 to finish with a team-best score of 214. Andrew Chapman fired a team best 70 in the opening round and struggled in the second shooting a 76, but rebounded to fire a 72 in the third round to finish with a 218 and tie for 13th. Scott Hayes finished tied for 70th after rounds of 81, 75 and 75 for a 231 total.
Wolverines Tie for Third at Northern Intercollegiate
The Wolverines used a strong second day from Andy Matthews to move up 10 spots and finish tied for third at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) at the Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana, Ill. Matthews began the tournament by carding a first-round total of 77, but rebounded in the second round, shooting a career-best-tying 68 to spark the Wolverines. He finished with a 76 in the final round for a 221 and season-best tie for eighth place. Michigan carded rounds of 305-294-298 for an 897 team total and a tie with Indiana for the third spot.
Scott Hayes tied for 17th after rounds of 78-72-75 for a 225 total. Scott Carlton tied for 21st after carding rounds of 77-77-72 for a 226 total. David Nichols opened the Intercollegiate with a career-best 73 but fell off in the last two rounds, firing an 80 in the second and a 75 in the third for a 228 total and a 34th-place finish. Andrew Chapman (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) tied for 54th (78-77-77/232).
Matthews Continues to Get on Track
Andy Matthews has been consistent throughout the entire fall season and got on track in the second round of the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) as he carded a career-best-tying round of 68. The last time he fired a 68 was last season in the second round of the Xavier Invitational (Oct. 11-12, 1999). He finished the Northern Intercollegiate in a tie for eighth place with a total of 221 (77-68-76) which was a season-best finish and was the first time he led the Wolverines since the Silver Springs Shores Invitational (March 11-12, 2000).
Nichols Makes Debut at Northern Intercollegiate
Freshman David Nichols made his collegiate debut at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) and fired a career-best 73 in the first round. He then carded an 80 in the second and closed out with a 75 to finish with a 228 total in his first tournament, which was good for 34th place.
Keeping Down the Scores
All season long the Wolverines have been trying to remain as consistent as possible. So far so good, as the Wolverines have averaged 298.55 per team round in the three tournaments this fall. Only three of the Wolverines' nine rounds have hit above the 300-stroke barrier. So far, the best team score was recorded in the first round of the Wolverine North Invitational (Sept. 23-24) as the Wolverines carded a 289.
Michigan's Best Team Scores to Date
| 289 | Wolverine North Invitational (first round) |
| 293 | Wolverine North Invitational (third round) |
| 294 | Northern Intercollegiate (second round) |
| 298 | Inverness Intercollegiate (second round) |
| 298 | Northern Intercollegiate (third round) |
Continuing to Smile Down the Fairway
Redshirt freshman Scott Carlton continues to smile through the fall season. In his second collegiate tournament, Carlton finished tied for 17th at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) after carding rounds of 77-77-72 for a 226 total. He is currently second on the team in stroke average with a 74.00 per round mark. Carlton made his collegiate debut at the Wolverine North Invitational (Sept. 23-24) and led the Wolverines to a fourth-place finish as he finished tied for seventh (69-76-71/218).
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
