Weekly Release #11
4/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., April 27-28 -- at Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational (East Lansing, Mich.)
Fri-Sun., May 3-5 -- at Big Ten Conference Championships (Iowa City, Iowa)
Next on the Tee: Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational
After two weeks away from competition, the University of Michigan men's golf team will head northwest to East Lansing, Mich., to play in the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational Saturday and Sunday (April 27-28) at Michigan State's Forest Akers West Course. The 54-hole tournament will feature 15 teams playing 36 holes Saturday followed with a final 18 on Sunday. The West Course will be set up for a par of 72 and 7,003 yards.
Web Sites: Live Scoring | MSU Men's Golf | Forest Akers West Course
Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational Teams
The Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational will feature 15 teams: Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame Ohio State, Texas-Arlington, Toledo, Wisconsin and Xavier.
Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational Schedule
The Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational will consist of 54 holes, with 36 being played Saturday (April 27) followed by a final 18 on Sunday (April 28).
| Friday, April 26 | Practice Round | Tee times throughout the day |
| Saturday, April 27 | First Round | 8:30 a.m. (shotgun start) |
| | Second Round | 1:30 p.m. (shotgun start) |
| Sunday, April 28 | Final Round | 9 a.m. (shotgun start) |
Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational Scoring Format
Scoring for the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational will be five players, count the low four scores each round.
The Michigan Lineup at Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational. Senior Andrew Chapman (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) and redshirt sophomore Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) head up the team heading to East Lansing. Senior Andy Matthews (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS), sophomore David Nichols (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) and senior Kyle Kilcherman (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) round out the travel team.
Last Year at the Michigan State: Wolverines Finish 10th
Michigan finished 10th at the 2001 Bruce Fossum/TeamGearOnline.com Invitational (April 28-29) at Forest Akers West Course in East Lansing, Mich. The Wolverines tallied a 294 total in the first round and followed with a 298 in the second round as the Wolverines sat in 11th place. With a final round total of 292, the Maize and Blue moved up one position to finish in the top 10 with an 884 Invitational total. Chris Kellogg (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) led the Wolverines and tied for 22nd (73-73-74/220) while Andy Matthews (77-77-68/222) and Andrew Chapman (72-77-73/222) tied for 33rd, David Nichols tied for 46th (74-72-79/225) and Scott Hayes (1998-2001) tied for 59th (75-76-77/228).
Last Time on the Links: U-M 11th at Kepler Intercollegiate
With rainy conditions canceling the final-day competition at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate (April 12-14), the Wolverines kept their two-day, 36-hole total of 598 (303-295/598) and finished the tournament in 11th place at Ohio State's Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. David Nichols tied for 17th place (76-71/147), Andrew Chapman tied for 24th (73-75/148), Kyle Kilcherman (78-74/152) and Andy Matthews (77-75/152) tied for 50th and Scott Carlton was 59th (77-80/157).
Nichols Hits Season Best Again
David Nichols tied a season best with a 71 in the second round of the Kepler Intercollegiate (April 12-14). Nichols accomplished the feat twice before, in the first and second rounds of the Badger Invitational (Sept. 8-9). For the season, he is third on the team with a 74.42 scoring average.
The Rainmaker or is It a Curse
David Nichols has finished as the top Wolverine in two tournaments this season, but those two tournaments have been shortened due to inclement weather. At the Duke Golf Classic (Oct. 14-15), Nichols was leading the Wolverines after the first two rounds (73-75/148), but the Maize and Blue had to withdraw from the tournament after rain delays cut into travel plans. At the Kepler Intercollegiate (April 12-14), Nichols again was the leading Wolverines after the first two rounds (76-71/147), but rainstorms flooded the course and cancelled the final round.
Scoring Race Still Red Hot
Six players are within two strokes of each other for the Wolverine scoring average lead. Andrew Chapman held on to the stroke average lead with his performance at the Kepler Intercollegiate (April 12-14). Chapman leads the Wolverines with a 73.60 scoring average. Andy Matthews slipped to second as he is averaging 74.30. David Nichols is right behind the "Andys" at 74.42. Scott Carlton (75.30), Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) at 75.40, and Kyle Kilcherman (76.15) are all neck and neck behind the Wolverine leaders.
Leave It to The "Andys"
Andy Matthews has not shot a round above 79 all season. In his 23 rounds this season, he has averaged 74.30 strokes per round, which is second among the Wolverines. Matthews has a season low of 67 in the final round of the Badger Invitational (Sept. 8-9). The other "Andy," Andrew Chapman has had only one round this season above 79. He leads the team with a 73.60 per round average. Chapman had a season-low 67 in second round of the Johnny Owens Invitational (March 29-30).
Chappie Goes Sub-Par
Andrew Chapman's second-round total of 67 at the Johnny Owens Invitational (March 29-30) was a career best. The round was a stroke better than the 68 he carded earlier this year in the first round at the Xavier Invitational (Oct. 8-9). His first-round total of 69 at the Marshall Invitational (April 5-6) was the third time this season and fifth time in his career he has scored below the 70-stroke barrier. Chapman leads the team with a current career-best scoring average of 73.60.
Marathon Man Continues Trek
Andy Matthews has continued to be "Old Reliable" for the Wolverines, adding to his streak of consecutive tournaments played. He now has 45 straight tournaments played for the Maize and Blue. Michael Harris' (1996-2000) holds the school record of 50 consecutive tournaments.
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
