Michigan
Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational
Wolverines Finish 14th at MSU to Close Regular Season
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Despite redshirt freshman Mark McIntosh (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord HS) firing his second straight one-over-par 73 and junior/sophomore Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS) carding a 74 today (Sunday, April 27), the University of Michigan men's golf team finished 14th at the Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational at Forest Akers West Course. The Wolverines finished with a 918 team total after tallying team totals of 311 and 300 Saturday and shooting a final 307 Sunday.
| | Tighe's 72 and 74 in the final two rounds are his best scores of the spring season. |
After opening with his highest single round of the season (88), McIntosh recovered quickly in the second and third rounds as he fired back-to-back one-over 73s to give him a 234 54-hole tournament total, which tied him for 62nd.
Freshman Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills School) started the weekend off well, firing a career-best-tying 74 in the first round, and followed with a 78 in the second round. His final-round 84 gave him a 236 two-day total and a tie for 65th.
Senior/junior Scott Carlton (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) tied for 69th with a 237 total (79-77-81), while junior Dave Nichols (Mesa, Ariz./Rochester Adams HS, Mich.) finished 73rd with a 242 total (82-81-79).
Using one-under-par team scores of 287 in the final round, Kent State (299-278-287) and Illinois (294-293-287) shared top team honors with even-par 864 54-hole tournament totals. Minnesota was third at 868 (284-293-287). Illinois' James Lepp held off Kent State's Peter Lawson to capture medalist honors. Lepp finished with an eight-under 208 54-hole total (69-67-72), while Laws was just a single stroke behind at 209 (72-70-67). Northwestern's Tom Johnson (68-74-69/211) was third.
With the regular season now completed, the Wolverines will now head to Bloomington, Ind., Friday through Sunday (May 2-4) for the 2003 Big Ten Conference Championships. The 72-hole championship (36-18-18), hosted by Indiana, will be played at the IU Golf Course.
Team Standings
1. Kent State* 299-278-287 = 864 (E) Illinois* 284-293-287 = 864 3. Minnesota 285-291-293 = 869 4. Michigan State 289-286-299 = 874 5. Ohio State 301-290-289 = 880 6. Toledo 294-290-297 = 881 7. Northwestern 293-297-292 = 882 8. Indiana 306-293-297 = 896 9. Iowa 307-300-292 = 899 10. Notre Dame 295-303-303 = 901 11. Wisconsin 314-299-293 = 906 12. Xavier 311-297-301 = 909 13. Eastern Michigan 304-306-304 = 914 14. MICHIGAN 311-300-307 = 918 * co-champions
Top Individuals
1. James Lepp, Illinois 69-67-72 = 208 (-8) 2. Peter Laws, Kent State 72-70-67 = 209 3. Tom Johnson, Northwestern 68-74-69 = 211 4. Justin Smith, Minnesota 70-72-70 = 212 Steve Lohmeyer, Kent State 73-67-72 = 212 Zach Doran, Ohio State 73-68-71 = 212 7. Patrick Nagle, Illinois 70-75-68 = 213 8. Jeff Overton, Indiana 77-66-71 = 214 Matt Anderson, Minnesota 69-70-75 = 214 Casey Lubahn, MSU 70-72-72 = 214
Michigan Individual Scores
T21. Rob Tighe 76-72-74 = 222 T62. Mark McIntosh 88-73-73 = 234 T65. Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury 74-78-84 = 236 T69. Scott Carlton 79-77-81 = 237 73. Dave Nichols 82-81-79 = 242
N O T E S
Rob Tighe's 222 54-hole total is the third best of his career. He had a career-best 217 at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6) and a 221 at the Northern Intercollegiate (Sept. 28-29).
Bruce Svechota-Kingsbury's two-over 74 in the first round tied his career best for a single round, matching the opening 74 he fired in the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 5-6).
Tighe, Dave Nichols and Mark McIntosh played in all 11 regular-season tournaments.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Andrew Sapp
On the Fossum Invitational ... " I was really pleased with Rob's (Tighe) performance over the weekend. He was really the only positive thing we had going. Some of the things that are happening to us are beyond any definition or answers. I am glad that finals and all the guys' classwork is over now because we are going to do nothing but eat, sleep and practice before we head to Big Tens. The least we can do is work our butts off going into next weekend."
On getting ready for the Big Ten Championships ... "We are going to play and practice quite a bit over the next few days. We are going to focus on our short games and putting because the course is pretty short, so,it could turn into a putting contest unless the greens are firm and not fully grown in yet. There is also going to be about three to three and a half inches of rough, so we are going to concentrate on trying to use our 2-irons and 3-woods to get our drives into the middle of the fairways as much as possible."
Junior/Sophomore Rob Tighe
On his Fossum Invitational performance ... "Without a doubt my short game and putting was the key to my success this weekend. I had a lot of up-and-downs and was just putting great. I still need to work on my ball striking, but overall I am pleased with the way I played. I am just happy to start to get back to where I was in the fall."
On preparing for Big Tens ... "We are going to just keep playing. We have no other commitments now that school is finished. We are going to use this time to work on our games. That's really all we can do."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
