Weekly Release #3
10/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Mon-Tue., Oct. 8-9 -- at Xavier Invitational (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Sun-Mon., Oct. 14-15 -- at Duke Golf Classic (Durham, N.C.)
Next on the Tee: Xavier Invitational
The University of Michigan men's golf team will hit the road for the rest of the fall season, starting with a trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, to participate in the Xavier Invitational, Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 8-9) at the Grizzly Course at the Golf Center at Kings Island. The 19-team Invitational field will feature 12 teams from last week's Wolverine Invitational field. The Xavier Invitational will be 54 holes of competition with 36 holes Monday (Oct. 8) and 18 holes Tuesday (Oct. 9). The Grizzly Course will be set up for a par of 71 and 6,808 yards.
Xavier Invitational Teams
The Xavier Invitational features 19 teams and will include: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio, Penn State, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, Wright State and Xavier.
Xavier Invitational Schedule
The Xavier Invitational will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Monday (Oct. 8) followed by 18 on Tuesday (Oct. 9).
| Sunday, Oct. 7 | Practice Round | Times throughout the day |
| Monday, Oct. 8 | First Round | Shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. |
| Second Round | Shotgun start at 1 p.m. | |
| Tuesday, Oct. 9 | Final Round | Tee Times starting at 8 a.m. |
Xavier Invitational 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 Wolverine Invitational. Senior Andy Matthews (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS), senior Andrew Chapman (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS), sophomore David Nichols (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS), senior Kyle Kilcherman (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS), redshirt freshman Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS), redshirt sophomore Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) and redshirt sophomore Chris Kellogg (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) will all compete throughout the week in qualifiers to see who will make up the five-member squad heading to Cincinnati.
2000 Xavier Invitational: Hayes Runner-Up, U-M Finishes Third
The Wolverines could not hold off the final push from Big Ten rivals Wisconsin and Penn State as they slipped to a third-place finish at the Xavier Invitational (Oct. 9-10, 2000) at the Grizzly Course at the Golf Center at Kings Island. The Maize and Blue held a three-stroke lead after the first day, but the Badgers and Nittany Lions fired tournament-best team rounds to move past the Maize and Blue. Michigan finished third with team rounds of 285-298-297 for an 880 total. Wisconsin (299-291-285/875) took home the title, while Penn State (304-284-288/876) was the runner-up. Scott Hayes (1997-2001) finished as the runner-up after firing rounds of 67-70-73 for a 210 total. Andrew Chapman tied for 30th after carding rounds of 74-79-70 for a 223 total. Andy Matthews tied for 35th (73-73-78/224), Scott Carlton tied for 38th (71-76-78/225) and Kevin Hinton (1997-2001) tied for 94th (79-84-76/239).
Last Time on the Links: U-M Places Seventh in Own Tourney
Michigan rebounded to finish seventh at its own Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 28-30) at the U-M Golf Course. The Wolverines shot 292 Sunday to give them a tournament total of 593 after their first-round 301. Andrew Chapman led the way for the Wolverines as he tied for 20th after firing rounds of 73 and 74 for a 147 total. Kyle Kilcherman came back with a career-best-tying 69 in the final round to tie for 36th with a 149 total after shooting an 80 in the first round. Rob Tighe and David Nichols both tied for 42nd after tallying 150 tournament totals. Tighe fired rounds of 76-74, while Nichols had back-to-back rounds of 75. Andy Matthews tied for 63rd after firing rounds of 77-76 for a 153 total. Scott Carlton and Chris Kellogg competed as individuals, with Carlton (74-74/148) tying for 27th and Kellogg (74-77/151) tying for 48th
Hitting the Mark Yet Again
Kyle Kilcherman's final-round tally of 69 (two under par) at the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 28-30) ties his career best matching the 69 (-3) he shot in the opening round of U-M's first tournament this season, the Badger Invitational (Sept. 8-9). It was the second time in his collegiate career he has broken the 70-stroke barrier. His previous best round was a 71, which he shot in the first round of the Marshall Invitational (April 6, 2001).
Andy the Ace
Andy Matthews added another highlight to his resume with a hole-in-one on the lengthy hole No. 12 at the U-M Golf Course during the practice round for the Wolverine Invitational. Using his 3-wood, Matthews said after he swung and knew it felt right and 254 yards later the ball hit the front of the green and rolled seven feet to give him the ace.
First Action Successful
Scott Carlton and Chris Kellogg both saw their first action of the season at the Wolverine Invitational. Carlton had a solid weekend, firing back-to-back rounds of 74, while Kellogg fired rounds of 74 and 77. Kellogg provided one the most memorable moments of the 2001 Wolverine Invitational. After hitting his tee shot on the par-3, No. 14 on the front end of the green, he looked up to see a 40-foot putt staring back at him. All he did was line it up and drain it to birdie the hole.
Staying on Course
Andrew Chapman has been staying on course during the early part of the fall season as he has not shot a round over 74. In the five rounds totaled this season, he has tallied round scores of 74-69-74-73-74 for an average of 72.80. He tied his career best with his second-round total of 69 at the Badger Invitational (Sept. 21-23). It marked the second time in his career he has hit that mark -- the first being in the final round of the Wolverine South Invitational (March 4, 2001).
Old Reliable Continues
Andy Matthews has continued to be "Old Reliable" for the Wolverines, adding to his streak of consecutive tournaments played. He now has 39 straight tournaments played for the Maize and Blue. For his career he has averaged 75.23 strokes per round.
Coach Carras Calls the 2001-02 Season His Last
Head coach Jim Carras has announced the 2001-02 season will be his last as head coach of the Wolverine program. The seventh coach in Michigan men's golf history, Carras has been part of the men's golf program for the past 24 years, 20 as the head coach.
Under Carras' direction, Michigan has four times placed as high as third in the Big Ten Championships (1985, '88, '95, '97). Nine times the Wolverines have finished among the top six conference teams. During the regular season, Carras' teams have won six tournament titles and been in the top three 17 times. In addition to the Big Ten success, Carras has helped guide three teams to NCAA Championship play. The 1994-95 team finished 12th at the NCAA Central Regional Championship and his 1996-97 squad finished eighth at the NCAA Central Regional Championship and advanced to the NCAA Championship, where the Wolverines finished 25th. Three years later, his 1999-2000 squad finished the season tied for 11th at the NCAA Central Regional Championship, just missing the advancing to the championship finals.
In addition to the team successes, Carras has coached nine players to All-Big Ten Conference honors, including three-time winner Michael Harris (1998, '99, 2000) and two-time award winners Dan Roberts (1983, '85) and Kyle Dobbs (1995, '97). Two Michigan players have collected Big Ten Championship medalist awards during Carras' tenure: Dobbs in 1997 and Harris in 1999. Andy Matthews became Michigan's first Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winner following his play in the 1999 conference championship. In addition, U-M golfers have earned 36 Academic All-Big Ten Conference citations under Carras since inception of the award in 1987, and six of Carras' Wolverines have been honored as National Golf Coaches Association All-America Academic Scholars.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
