Weekly Release #4

Upcoming Schedule
Mon-Tue., Oct. 25-26 -- at Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge (Bandon Dunes, Ore.)
Fri-Sun., Oct. 29-31 -- at the Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, N.C.)

Next on the Tee: One Week, Two Tourneys
The University of Michigan men's golf team will close out the fall season with two tournaments in seven days. Up first for the Maize and Blue is an invitation to play in the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 25-26) in Bandon Dunes, Ore. The 14-team team dual conference field, including 2004 NCAA champion California and 2002 NCAA champion Minnesota, will play 54-holes at the prestigious Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, which will be set up for a par of 72 and 6,980 yards.

After completing the challenge and with just one day of travel in between tournaments, the Wolverines will close out the fall season with a trip to Wilmington, N.C., Friday through Sunday (Oct. 29-31) for the Landfall Tradition at the Jack Nicklaus Course at the Country Club of Landfall. The 12-team field, featuring five Big Ten teams, will play 18 holes each day. The Nicklaus course will be set up for a par of 72 and 6,948 yards for the 54-hole tournament.

First On the Tee ...

The Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge Tournament Field
The Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge field features 14 teams from the two conferences. Representing the Big Ten will be Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Purdue and representing the Pac-10 will be Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA and Washington.

The Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge Schedule
The Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge will consist of 54 holes, 36 of which will be played on Monday (Oct. 25) followed by 18 on Tuesday (Oct. 26).

Sunday, Oct. 24	Practice Round	Tee times throughout the day
Monday, Oct. 25	First Round	8 a.m. PDT (shotgun)
	Second Round	continuous play after first round
Tuesday, Oct. 26	Final Round	8 a.m. PDT (shotgun)

The Big Ten/Pac 10 Challenge Scoring Format
Scoring for the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge will be five players; count the low four scores each round.

The Conference Challenge
Scoring for the conference challenge will be by counting the low six conference team scores of each round.

The Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge Pairings
Pairings for the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge will be a blind draw Sunday night to mix the teams and conferences. Teams will play in groups of three; and the blind draw will determine pairing that will consist either of two Pac-10 teams and one Big Ten team or two Big Ten teams and one Pac-10.

Second On the Tee ...

The Landfall Tradition Field
The Landfall Tradition features 12 teams and will include: Coastal Carolina, Duke, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, UNC-Wilmington, Ohio State, Purdue, Tulsa, Virginia Tech and Xavier.

The Landfall Tradition Schedule
The Landfall Tradition will consist of 54 holes, 18 being played each day. All three rounds will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

Thursday, Oct. 28	Practice Round	Tee times throughout the day
Friday, Oct. 29	First Round	7:50 a.m. to 9:56 a.m. (tee times)
Saturday, Oct. 30	Second Round	7:50 a.m. to 9:56 a.m. (tee times)
Sunday, Oct. 31	Final Round	7:30 a.m. to 9:36 a.m. (tee times)

The Landfall Tradition Scoring Format
Scoring for the Landfall Tradition will be five players; count the low four scores each round.

The Tournament Lineups
The Wolverines will carry five starters for both tournaments. The travel squad has been set for the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge as junior Christian Vozza (Traverse City, Mich./Grand Rapids Baptist), fifth-year senior Rob Tighe (Traverse City, Mich./West HS), freshman Brian Ottenweller (Grand Rapids, Mich./Catholic Central HS), sophomore Kevin Dore (Dundas, Ontario/St. Mary's) and sophomore Matt McLaughlin (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook HS) will all be making the trip out west. The determination for the five-man squad heading to the Landfall will be decided following the completion of the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge.

Last Time at the Landfall: Nichols Even Par at Landfall Tradition, Ties for Seventh
Former Wolverine Dave Nichols carded his second one-under-par 71 in three days and tied for seventh at the 2002 Landfall Tradition (Nov. 1-3) at the Country Club of Landfall's Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C. Nichols, whose even-par 54-hole tournament total of 216 was a career best, was the top finisher for the Wolverines, who placed 12th with team rounds of 304, 319 and 306 for a 929 total in their final tournament of the fall. Nichols opened the tournament with his first 71 on Friday and followed with a two-over 74 Saturday in the second round. He struck back in the final round with his second one-under 71 and finished the tournament with 12 birdies during the three days of play. Mark McIntosh (Gaylord, Mich./Gaylord HS) opened with a two-over 74 in the first round but slipped in the second, carding an 80. He fired a 76 in the final round to finish tied for 41st with a 230 total. Rob Tighe was 54th (79-81-79/239), Jimmy Wisinski tied for 56th (80-84-80/244) and former Wolverine Chris Kellogg was 58th (82-87-84/253).

Last Time on the Links: Slow Start Leads to 13th-Place Showing at Duke Classic
The Wolverines tallied a tournament-best 297 in the final round, but it would not prove be enough as the Wolverines maintained the 13th spot at the Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic at the Duke Golf Club in Durham, N.C. The Maize and Blue dug itself into a hold early totaling a 310 first round total, but managed to lower it to 305 in the second round, but it still sat in 13th after the first day of play. The Wolverines followed with its best total of the tournament with a 297 in the final round, but stayed in the 13th position with a 912 54-hole tournament total. Christian Vozza led the Wolverines as he tied for 21st with a 222 total (72-72-78), Rob Tighe tied for 34th with a 227 total (77-73-77) and Brian Ottenweller cracked into the top 50 as he tied for 49th with a 231 total (79-80-72). Other Michigan finishes include: Kevin Dore, tied for 61st (83-80-70/233); Matt McLaughlin, was 76th (82-81-82/243) and senior/junior Jimmy Wisinski (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS), tied for 72nd (84-77-79/240) after playing as an individual.

The Duo Keeps It Rolling
Dating back to the last season, in seven of the last eight tournaments Kevin Dore or Christian Vozza have finished first or second among all Wolverine players in tournament play. Vozza has regained the scoring average lead with a 73.67 per round average, while Dore is tied in the second spot with Rob Tighe at 74.44 strokes per round.

Getting Into the Swing of Things
For his first collegiate golf season, Brian Ottenweller has made the most of his chances as he has started two tournaments this season. In his debut, he led the Wolverines, playing as an individual at the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate and in his second and third tournament he has played solidly recording a 232 total at the Northern Intercollegiate and a 231 total at the Duke Golf Classic. He is fourth on the team with a 75.55 per round average and has shot two rounds under par with one-under 71s in the first and second round at Radrick Farms.

Starters Beginning to Gel
For the first three tournaments, Kevin Dore, Christian Vozza, Matt McLaughlin and Brian Ottenweller have been four names that have received the starting nod. Rob Tighe has also played in all three events, but with two starting nods. As a team the Wolverines are averaging 299.00 per round.

Michigan Gets Team Round in the Red
Michigan's second round team total of one-under 287 at the Northern Intercollegiate is the first time the Wolverines have gone under par this season. The last time the Wolverines were under par as a team was at the end of last season when the Maize and Blue tallied a two-under 282 in the final round of the 2004 Big Ten Championships (May 8-9).

Seeing Even More Red Numbers
With Kevin Dore's two-under 70 at the Duke Golf Classic, the Wolverines have eight total under par rounds in the first three tournaments of the season. During the entire 2003-04 season, the Maize and Blue recorded eight red numbers.

Duo Snaps Top 10 Drought
The last time the Wolverines had two players finish in the top 10 was during the 2000-01 season, at the Wolverine South Invitational (March 3-4, 2001). At the Northern Intercollegiate, Kevin Dore and Christian Vozza both tied for seventh. In addition, the last time the Wolverines had three players finish in the top 20 was at the 2004 Furman Intercollegiate (March 26-28). Including Dore and Vozza's tie for seventh, Rob Tighe tied for 16th, playing as an individual giving the Maize and Blue three in the top 20 this weekend.

McLaughlin Lowers Career Numbers in Season Opener
After leading the Wolverine starters at the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate (Sept. 11-12), Matt McLaughlin lowered his 54-hole tournament best total by five strokes with a 221 total. His prior best was 226, which he had twice C 2003 Franklin Street Trust Invitational and 2004 Puerto Rico Classic. McLaughlin has finished as the top Wolverine in three career tournaments.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423