Weekly Release #10
4/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Fri-Sun., April 28-30 -- at Big Ten Conference Championship (Madison, Wis.)
Next on the Tee
The University of Michigan women's golf team will hit the championship portion of its schedule, as the Wolverines will travel to Madison, Wis., for the Big Ten Conference Championship Friday through Sunday (April 28-30). This year's championship will be played at Wisconsin's University Ridge Golf Course.
Championship Facts
The Big Ten Conference Championship will be played at the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis. The championships will have the course set up for a par of 72 and yardage of 5,962. The last time the championship was held in Madison was in 1991. The 72-hole tournament will consist of 36 holes Friday (April 28, 8 a.m. CDT), 18 on Saturday (April 29, 9 a.m.) and a final round on Sunday (April 30, 8 a.m.). Follow all the action at:
Big Ten Championships Site
Wisconsin's Women's Golf Site
Championship Scoring
Team scores shall be determined by adding the low four scores of each team for each round. A team shall consist of no more than six players per institution. Ties in a team or individual competition after 72 holes at the championship shall stand.
Championship Teams
All 11 Big Ten Conference teams will participate in the women's golf championship. The seeding for the championship was determined by each team's final finish from the Lady Northern Invitational (Sept. 17-19). Play is scheduled for 8 a.m. CDT Friday, with tee times following in seven-minute intervals. The breakdown of the tee times, with team seedings, is as follows:
Group 1 -- 8:00 to 8:35 a.m. -- 1st tee
No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Wisconsin
Group 2 -- 8:42 to 9:17 a.m. -- 1st tee
No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Northwestern
Group 3 -- 9:24 to 9:59 a.m. -- 1st tee
No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Penn State
Group 4 -- 8:14 to 8:49 a.m. -- 10th tee
No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Michigan State
Group 5 -- 8:56 to 9:52 a.m. -- 10th tee
No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 11 Illinois
The Michigan Lineup
Michigan will use six individuals at the Big Ten Conference Championship. Freshman Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) and sophomore Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) head up the Wolverine squad. Sophomores Cortney Reno (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) round out the top four. Junior Amy Talbot (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) has the fifth spot and junior Trish Watkins (Darien, Conn./Darien HS) will travel as the sixth member to the championships.
Michigan at the Big Ten Conference Championship
Michigan has competed in all but one Big Ten Conference championship since its inception in 1982. The Wolverines' best finish was fourth in 1997 in East Lansing, Mich., and their best team score was 1,281 the following year in State College, Pa.
Michigan in the Big Ten Championship
1982 Did Not Compete
1983 9th (1,087)
1984 9th (1,026)
1985 9th (1,369)
1986 8th (1,369)
1987 9th (1,332)
1988 9th (1,409)
1989 9th (1,384)
1990 7th (1,308)
1991 8th (1,296)
1992 9th (1,389)
1993 10th (1,382)
1994 10th (1,348)
1995 7th (1,303)
1996 5th (988)*
1997 4th (1,285)
1998 11th (1,281)
1999 10th (1,302)
* Shortened to 54 holes due to rain
Records Fall as U-M Finishes Second in Iowa Tourney
It was a tale of two different tournament rounds as the Wolverines could not hold on to their first-day lead at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16) as they finished second to host Iowa by just two strokes. Despite the drop in final placing, Michigan's performance was one for the books as school, career and season bests were eclipsed all tournament long.
The Wolverines opened up the tournament at the Finkbine Golf Course firing their first-ever tournament round below 300, dating back to records kept since 1986, as the Wolverines shot a 299. They followed that round with a 306 to lead after the first day by one stroke (605) over Northwestern, which fired rounds of 307-299 (606).
In Sunday's final round Michigan dropped its lead, shooting a final-round 319 as Iowa gained seven strokes on Wolverines to finish with a two-stroke victory. The Hawkeyes finished with a 922 tournament total, while the Wolverines totaled a 924. Despite falling to second, the Wolverines' tournament total was their best finish in five years. The last time Michigan shot better than its Hawkeye Invitational total was when the Wolverines posted a 904 total at the Lady Kat Invitational on Oct. 6-8, 1995.
Benedict Closes Out Regular Season with Career Performance
Freshman Kim Benedict led the charge for the Wolverines at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16) as she had her career-best outing, finishing as the tournament's individual runner-up. After firing back-to-back career-best rounds of 72 and 73, Benedict led the field by two strokes with a one-under-par 145 after the first day of the tournament. A final round of 81 dropped Benedict to second place with a 226 tournament total as she finished a single stroke behind tournament champion Allie Blomquist of Wisconsin (75-80-70/225).
Season Bests Eclipsed in Iowa
Sophomore Misia Lemanski tied for eighth at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16), destroying her career-best three-round tournament total as she finished with a 230 after rounds of 74-73-83. Her previous best was a 257 recorded earlier this season at the Midwest Classic (Feb. 25-27). Sophomore Bess Bowers also fired a career-best three-round total as she finished tied for 11th in Iowa with a 232 after rounds of 73-83-76. Her previous best was a 233 at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 11-12). She also shot a season-low 73 in the opening round. Junior Amy Talbot continued the trend, firing a career-best three-round tournament total of 237 after rounds of 80-78-79. Her prior best was a 240 competing as an individual at the Shootout at the Legends (Oct. 11-12).
Wolverines Close Out Productive Season
As the regular season came to an end, the 1999-2000 season has seen the Wolverines finish in the top 10 in all but one of their 10 fall and spring events. They also finished as the tournament runner-up in two of their last three events. The Wolverines are shooting their best team score in three years as they are averaging 321.12 per round and getting closer to the 1995-96 average of 320.68.
Lineup Card Getting Crowded
All season long head coach Kathy Teichert has had headaches filling out the Wolverine lineup card as six players average less than 84 strokes per round, including four below 82. Kim Benedict leads the team with a 79.68 per round average, and she has played in every tournament this year. Cortney Reno (81.14), Bess Bowers (81.20) and Misia Lemanski (81.68) have continued to play consistently down the stretch for Teichert as they provide the depth. Amy Talbot (82.61) and Stephanie MacAdams (83.57) add even more with their solid play. Add in LeAnna Wicks (84.00) and Jennifer Baumann (84.57) and the card becomes even harder to fill out.
Benedict Gets Under the Mark
Freshman Kim Benedict has led the Wolverines all season long and finished the regular season as only Wolverine to average under 80 strokes per round with her current 79.68 average. The last player to shoot better was Sharon Park two years ago, when she averaged 78.42 during the 1997-98 season. Benedict has two top-five finishes, one top-10 and three top-20s this season. She collected 11 rounds in the 70s, 13 in the 80s and just one in the 90s, with her two lowest rounds coming at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16). She shot a 72 and then followed that with a 73 on the first day of the tournament. Her career-best finish was also at the Hawkeye Invitational as she finished as the individual runner-up.
Filling Up the Card
Sophomore Misia Lemanski has solidified herself as one of the Wolverines' best as her play continues to improve as the season progresses. She has been one of the Wolverines' most consistent players in the spring, playing in six straight tournaments. She also has dropped more than two strokes off of her game from a year ago as she is averaging 81.68 strokes per round this season compared to last season's 83.81. She finished with just one top-20 finish last year, but she has changed that this season, collecting two top-10 finishes, including a career-best sixth place at the Saluki Invitational (March 26-27).
Mirror Images
Sophomore Bess Bowers has had a mirror image of her freshman season, but with a slight twist -- she is getting better. She has not missed a tournament in two seasons, playing in 20 straight. She has dropped a stroke and a half off her per round average from a season ago as she is shooting 81.20 compared to 82.60 last year. She has seven rounds in the 70s this season compared to just two as a freshman. Finally, she shot a career-best 73 at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 15-16) and has lowered every season best category.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
