Michigan
NCAA Championships (Day 1)
Wolverines Have Solid First Day at NCAA Championships
5/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Site: Auburn, Wash.
Course: Washington National Golf Club (par 72, 6,273 yards)
Tournament: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 4)
U-M Standing: Tie-13th Place of 24 Teams (301) after Day 1
Top U-M Individual: Laura Olin, tie-30th (74)
Next Event: Wed-Fri., May 22-24 -- at NCAA Championships (Auburn, Wash.)
AUBURN, Wash. -- Despite admitting nerves on their first-ever trip to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships, the University of Michigan Wolverines fired a solid 301 in the first round today (Tuesday, May 21) and sit in a tie for 13th place in the 72-hole, 24-team event at Washington National Golf Club. Led by freshman Laura Olin's (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) two-over-par 74, Michigan had individual scores ranging from 74 to 77 and is right in the thick of the team standings, with just four strokes separating fourth place (298) from 16th (302).
Laura Olin
Following Olin's lead, seniors LeAnna Wicks (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) and Bess Bowers (Bloomington, Ind./North HS) finished the first day with three-over 75s, while senior Misia Lemanski (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile HS) and junior Kim Benedict (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) each notched 77.
Opening up her first round with a bogey on No. 1, Olin then relaxed, parring the next three holes before three-putting 5 for a bogey. However, she struck back with back-to-back birdies on 6 and 7 to help her finish the front nine at even par. Despite bogeys on 12 and 15, Olin remained steady on the back nine parring seven of the final nine holes to help her finish at two-over 74 and lead the Wolverines after her first 18 holes.
Wicks battled nerves during her front side as she struggled with her putter, bogeying four of the first seven holes. She then played minus-one on the final 11 holes to finish with her three-over 75, highlighted with back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 as she hit her wedge to five feet and three feet, respectively, followed with confident putts. Bowers struggled getting comfortable with her swing as she bogeyed three of the first six holes, until she then found her timing to play even par the rest of her round, with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 highlighting a strong back nine.
Lemanski showed no signs of nerves, going minus-one through the first eight holes after a birdie on 6, but missed a par putt on 9 to make the turn at even par. After an out-of-bounds drive and bunker-finding recovery shot, she triple-bogeyed 10, putting her above par for the first time in the round. A bogey on 12 followed with a double-bogey on 15, after finding the water, put her at plus-six with three holes remaining. But a birdie on the par-3 16th helped her regain her confidence, as she finished with her five-over 77.
Benedict was the first to tee off of the Wolverines and showed some nerves early with her swing, double-bogeying 2 and then bogeying 4 before getting on track with a birdie on 7. She then continued to try and get comfortable her swing as she opened up the back nine with a double bogey on 10 and bogey on 11. She then hit a roller coaster as she birdied 12, bogeyed 13, bounced back with a birdie 14, but then bogeyed 15 to sit at plus-five. She would stay there as she parred the last three holes to finish with her 77.
Individually, Olin is tied for 30th (74), Wicks (75) and Bowers (75) are tied for 43rd and Lemanski (77) and Benedict (77) are tied for 70th in the 126-player field.
Virada Nirapathpongporn of Duke set the pace in the opening round as she made four birdies in a bogey-free round of 68 to lead Georgia's Summer Sirmons by a shot. Thirteen players broke par on the opening day, including a trio of Arizona players -- Laura Myerscough (70), Mar Garcia (71) and No. 1-ranked Lorena Ochoa (71) -- who helped the Wildcats shoot 285 (-3) and take a nine-shot lead over Duke and defending champion Georgia.
The Wolverines will continue the NCAA Championships with the second round Wednesday (May 22), going off from the 10th tee beginning at 1 p.m. PDT. U-M will again be paired with South Carolina, which is tied for fourth at 298, and Arizona State, which like Michigan shot 301 in the first round.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. Arizona 285 (-3)
2. Duke 294
Georgia 294
4. Auburn 298
California 298
Florida 298
South Carolina 298
Wake Forest 298
9. Ohio State 299
Oklahoma 299
Oklahoma State 299
Stanford 299
13. MICHIGAN 301
Arizona State 301
Pepperdine 301
16. Tulsa 302
Washington 302
18. Purdue 304
19. Michigan State 305
Texas 305
21. Southern Cal 307
22. Vanderbilt 311
23. South Florida 313
24. UCLA 314
Top Individuals
1. Virada Nirapathpongporn, Duke 68 (-4)
2. Summer Sirmons, Georgia 69
3. Angela Jerman, Georgia 70
Laura Myerscough, Arizona 70
Janice Olivencia, Texas 70
Alena Sharp, New Mexico State* 70
Jennifer Tannehill, Oklahoma 70
Marcia Wallis, Stanford 70
Lindsey Wright, Pepperdine 70
10. Nuria Clau, Wake Forest 71
Mar Garcia, Arizona 71
Lorena Ochoa, Arizona 71
Andrea Vander Lende, Florida 71
* playing as an individual
Michigan Individual Scores
T30. Laura Olin 36-38 = 74 (+2) T43. LeAnna Wicks 40-35 = 75 T43. Bess Bowers 39-36 = 75 T70. Misia Lemanski 36-41 = 77 T70. Kim Benedict 38-39 = 77
QUOTES
Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the first round of the NCAA Championships ... "I think we are hanging in there right now. I don't think we have scratched the surface of what we can do. The kids started off playing really good, but we had some mistakes on the back, with a few doubles and triples. So if you take those away we are right in there. I thought we made some good shots. I think we were making some good shot selections. So, I am pleased with what we did today."
On the nerves of the players in the first round ... "I think we were a little more uptight than usual, even in the van ride over here. Usually they are putting in their own music or listening to their Walkmans to get pumped up and today it was kind of different. But I think they got through that once they all teed off. I think tomorrow will be a different start. I think it is going to good to get the back side out of the way first and go into the front and see what we can do there."
Freshman Laura Olin
On the first round of the NCAA Championships ... "We've waited so long for this to get underway that it actually was a little relieving. Today was just one of those days when you can't afford to play yourself out of the tournament. You just have to stick in there and let things fall where they may."
On what she learned in the first round that will help in the second ... "We can play with these other schools. It doesn't matter where you are from and the numbers you shoot. It's not a thing of 'What is your name' It's a thing of 'What did you shoot' We have worked so hard to get here and we belong here with these other schools. Now we know that it is just like any other tournament. We just have to play our games."
On the course conditions and weather ... "I think these conditions were very favorable for us. We have been so used to playing in these types of conditions. As long as the rain holds off it plays to our advantage. The wind picked up a little bit, but if the course was going to start playing difficult, it is going to be difficult for everyone here."
Senior LeAnna Wicks
On the nerves of the playing in the first round ... "I would say that I was nervous on the first tee. I don't really know what was causing my nervousness, but I think just being here and everything going on caused some of it. I was just excited but nervous. I really didn't settle down until after a few holes. Then when I made an up-and-down on No. 8 and then a solid par on No. 9 I really settled down."
On what she learned from the first round ... "I think just realizing that it is just another tournament and not getting distracted by how different people in your group were playing the holes was important. I noticed that my course strategy was different from some of the other girls. So, I think sticking with your game plan and learning where to place the ball on each hole is and was the key."
Senior Bess Bowers
On her first round of the NCAA Championships ... "I wasn't nervous about being here, but I was a little nervous on the first hole because I didn't hit it very well on the practice range this morning. But once I got into a rhythm I was fine. I think that is how everyone felt. I saved myself with putts. I hit some putts for par and that was probably what calmed me down the most. Then I relaxed and then let my swing go and started to hit it better."
On what changes she is going to make for the second round ... "I don't think I learned anything that I didn't already know today. We really got to know the course extremely well in the two practice rounds. Plus we met as a team last night and we talked about where we wanted to hit the ball on certain holes, so I learned a lot from other people's observations. So, I feel extremely comfortable with this golf course and with all of us shooting in the mid-70s shows that we can really score on this course, even with our nerves."
NOTES
• Michigan is making its first NCAA Women's Golf Championships appearance.
• Michigan's 301 first round team total is the second best postseason total. The Wolverines had the lowest team total of 294 in the third round of the 2002 NCAA Central Regional (May 9-11).
Players Mentioned
