Weekly Release #2
9/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sat-Sun., Sept. 28-29 -- at Northern Intercollegiate (Bloomington, Ind.)
Sat-Sun., Oct. 5-6 -- host Wolverine Invitational (U-M Golf Course)
Next on the Tee: The Northern Intercollegiate
The University of Michigan men's golf team will get a chance to get into the thick of Big Ten Conference action as the Wolverines head to Bloomington, Ind., for the Northern Intercollegiate, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 28-29) at the IU Golf Course. Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams will be competing in what will be a fall preview of the 2003 Big Ten Championships, which will be in Bloomington in early May. For the Northern, the IU Golf Course will be set up for a par of 71 and 6,942 yards for the 54-hole tournament.
The Northern Intercollegiate Field
The Northern Intercollegiate features 16 teams and will include: Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio, Ohio State, Penn State, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin and Xavier. Northwestern and Purdue are the only Big Ten schools not in the field
The Northern Intercollegiate Schedule
The Northern Intercollegiate will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Saturday (Sept. 28) followed by 18 on Sunday (Sept. 29).
| Friday, Sept. 27 | Practice Round | tee times throughout the day |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 | First Round | 8 a.m. EST/CDT (shotgun) |
| | Second Round | 1 p.m. EST/CDT (shotgun) |
| Sunday, Sept. 29 | Final Round | 8:30 a.m. EST/CDT (shotgun) |
The Northern Intercollegiate Scoring Format
Scoring for the Northern Intercollegiate will be five players, count the low four scores each round.
Following the Northern Intercollegiate
Live stats for the Northern Intercollegiate will be made available by golfstat.com and will be linked to Indiana's athletic website: iuhoosiers.com
The Michigan Lineup at the Northern Intercollegiate
The Wolverines will carry five players for the Michigan squad at the Northern Intercollegiate. Junior David Nichols (Mesa, Ariz./Rochester Adams HS, Mich.) and junior/sophomore Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) head up the five-member team. Freshman Christian Vozza (Traverse City, Mich./Grand Rapids Baptist) will make his first collegiate tournament appearance, while redshirt freshman Mark McIntosh (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord HS) and senior/junior Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) round out the Maize and Blue squad.
Last Time at the Northern Intercollegiate
The Wolverines did not compete in the Northern Intercollegiate during the 2001-02 season, but they were third (305-294-298/897) at the 2000 Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) at the Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana, Ill. Andy Matthews led the Wolverines as he tied for the eighth spot (77-68-76/221). Scott Hayes tied for 17th (78-72-75/225), Scott Carlton tied for 21st (77-77-72/226), David Nichols was 34th (73-80-75/228) and Andrew Chapman tied for 54th (78-77-77/232).
Last Time on the Links: U-M Opens Season, Sapp Era at The Ridges
The Wolverines showed signs of improvement and gained some early and valuable experience against a highly touted Bank of Tennessee/The Ridges Intercollegiate field (Sept. 13-14) at the Ridges in Johnson City, Tenn. The Wolverines finished 14th in their debut under new coach Andrew Sapp, opening with rounds of 300 and 304 in overcast conditions (Sept. 14) and closing with a 309 in rain and at times heavy downpours for a 54-hole score of 913. Rob Tighe led the Wolverine charge with his tie for 24th with a career-best 223 (73-77-73) 54-hole tournament finish, while David Nichols was just behind as he tied for 27th with a 224 (73-76-75) total. In their first collegiate tournament, Mark McIntosh tied for 55th after rounds of 75-75-80 for a 230, Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills Schools) was 69th after carding rounds of 79-76-81 for a 236 total and Jimmy Wisinski (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) was 75th after firing rounds of 81-78-85 for a 244 total.
Coming out of the Gate Swinging
Senior/junior Rob Tighe wasted no time getting out of the gate early for the Wolverines as he played in just his third career tournament at the Ridges (Sept. 14-15). All he did was lead the Wolverines after tying for 24th, carding career-best-tying rounds of 73 in the first and third rounds en route to a career-best 223 54-hole tournament total. His previous best total was 227 at the Badger Invitational (Sept. 8-9, 2001). Tighe also led U-M with 11 birdies during the tournament.
Mr. Consistency
Junior David Nichols continued right where he left off last season as he recorded his 11th, 12th and 13th straight rounds under 79 at the Ridges. In his first tournament of the year, Nichols tied for 24th after rounds of 73, 76 and 75 for a 224 total, which was his fourth best career 54-hole total. For his career he now has 43 of 45 career rounds below 80 strokes. Nichols played the No.1 spot for the Wolverines and recorded six birdies and 35 pars in 54 holes at the Ridges.
From the Tryouts to the Airport
What a day it was. After learning he was named to the team after the walk-on tryouts, freshman Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury found out 10 minutes later he would be playing in the first tournament of the year and of his career. After nerves subsided, Svechota-Kingsbury calmed and performed well in his first collegiate tournament as he was 69th after rounds of 79, 76 and 81 for a 236-tournament total. During the Ridges, he recorded nine birdies and 25 pars in 54 holes.
First Timers
Both redshirt freshmen Mark McIntosh and Jimmy Wisinski both competed in their first collegiate tournaments for the Maize and Blue. After recording 30 pars and five birdies, McIntosh tied for 55th after rounds of 75, 75 and 80 for a 230 total. Wisinski had 29 pars and three birdies en route to his 75th finish after rounds of 81, 78 and 85 for a 244 total.
Getting the Nod
After winning the week's qualifier, true freshman Christian Vozza will make his Michigan debut when he travels to Bloomington, Ind., to compete in the Northern Intercollegiate. Vozza, who averaged 77.3 for his career at Grand Rapids Baptist, was a 2001 Super Team, 2001 Michigan Mr. Golf candidate and a three-time All-State first team (1999, 2000 and 2001). He was the 1999 State Finals runner-up (76-76/152). Vozza will become the fourth Wolverine to play in his first collegiate tournament during the first two events this year.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
