Michigan
Oklahoma Intercollegiate
Schaetzel Earns Third Straight Top-10 Spot at Oklahoma
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
EDMOND, Okla. -- For the third consecutive tournament, junior Tim Schaetzel (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) posted a top-10 individual finish for the University of Michigan men's golf team, shooting a season-best tie for third today (Oct. 17) with a 222 54-hole total at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate at the Oak Tree Golf Club.
The Maize and Blue battled the lengthy and tough Oak Tree Golf Club throughout the 54-holes, as short games and putting became the premium for all schools. In the end, Michigan closed in the eighth spot with a 924 tournament total as missed opportunities added up. Opening with a 315 in the first round, the Wolverines came roaring back with their fifth team round below 300 this season, posting a second round 299. With pin placements set up even harder in the final round, the Wolverines tallied a 310 total to close in the eighth spot.
Despite the team finish, Schaetzel continues to shine during the fall season, posting his third straight top-10 finish of the campaign and tying for third-place with his 222 total. After opening with a first round 75, he rallied in the second round, making up for misplaced fairway shots with strong approaches and several up and down par saves, eventuallly closing with a two-over 73. Strong putting on the difficult Oak Tree greens continued in the final round, and Schaetzel closed with a three-over 74, leading the Wolverines for the third straight tournament.
Senior Kevin Dore (Dundas, Ontario, Canada/St. Mary's) opened with a disappointing 81 in the first round, but capitalized on good approaches in the second round to card a three-over 74. In the final round, putting miscues caught up to him as he closed with a 79 and a 234 total, which was good for a tie for 30th.
Other Michigan starter finishes include: sophomore Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS), 34th with a 236 total (84-75-77); sophomore Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS), tied for 39th with a 240 total (83-77-80) and freshman Billy McKay (Grand Blanc, Mich./David Leadbetter Golf Academy [Bradenton, Fla.]), starting his first collegiate tournament, tying for 42nd with a 243 total (76-82-85).
Tulsa led from start to finish, closing with an 889 tournament total (305-289-295). Baylor was the runner-up with a 900 total (316-290-294), and SMU vaulted its way to the third spot in the final round finishing with a 905 total (316-302-287). Tulsa made it a sweep of the hardware as Sam Korbe took medalist honors with a 219 total (72-71-72), while teammate Nicholas Geyger (77-71-72) finished as the runner up.
The Wolverines will waste no time continuing their fall tournament schedule, as the Maize and Blue will only have a few days of qualifying before heading to Wilmington, N.C., Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 23-24) for the 2006 49er Collegiate Classic. The 54-hole tournament will be played at the Cabarrus Country Club. Last year, Michigan finished sixth as a team at the Charlotte hosted tournament.
Team Standings
1. Tulsa 305-289-295 = 889
2. Baylor 316-290-294 = 900
3. SMU 316-302-287 = 905
4. Louisiana State 306-294-317 = 917
5. Oklahoma 313-296-310 = 919
Ohio State 304-304-311 = 919
7. Arkansas 310-302-311 = 923
8. MICHIGAN 315-299-310 = 924
Top Individuals
1. Sam Korbe, Tulsa 72-71-76 = 219
2. Nicolas Geyger, Tulsa 77-71-72 = 220
3. TIM SCHAETZEL, U-M 75-73-74 = 222
Jeremy Alcorn, Baylor 83-70-69 = 222
Ben Blundell, Oklahoma 76-69-77 = 222*
6. Andrew Landry, Arkansas 71-76-76 = 223
7. Dan Rush, Ohio State 75-71-78 = 224
8. Mitch Cohlmia, Tulsa 79-74-72 = 225
9. Colt Knost, SMU 78-78-70 = 226
Brian Noonan, LSU 77-69-80 = 226
Bill Allcorn, Baylor 76-74-76 = 226
Brent Blaum, LSU 78-72-76 = 226
Wesley Williams, Baylor 75-73-78 = 226
Other Michigan Individuals
T30. Kevin Dore 81-74-79 = 234 34. Bill Rankin 84-75-77 = 236 T39. Nick Pumford 83-77-80 = 240 T42. Billy McKay 76-82-85 = 243 * played as individual
Q U O T E S
Michigan coach Andrew Sapp
On the tournament ... "This tournament was a real challenge for us. We played well in spots, but it was a difficult golf course with its length and hole locations. We just had our struggles around the greens. This is a golf course was set up like it was the 1988 PGA Championship, but with newer tee locations. It was just so tough. If you just miss the green in the slightest way, it is going to make you pay. So, it made you play smart. You really needed to go for the middle of the green and take your chances from there. Just being off a few inches here and there would have you put a double (bogey) or even triple (bogey) on your card. We need to take what we learned from here and really remember it when we play later on this season."
On Tim Schaetzel's play this fall ... "It's been nice to see him playing so well. He came into the fall season having ended his summer playing well. He just really hasn't dropped off. What has been impressive to see has been his growth and maturity as a golfer. He has played well, but has been doing it in different ways each tournament. This week, he didn't hit all that well, but really was able to attack the greens and get a lot of up and downs. So, to see him play well in multiple ways has been a plus."
U-M Junior Tim Schaetzel
On Michigan's play at another tough golf course ... "It was definitely hard golf course. So a lot of the scores were high across the board. Only a handful of teams really played well. There wasn't a lot of scores under 300 as a team today, which really shows you how difficult the course was playing. It was long and you had to be smart. We didn't make the short putts we needed to on a hard golf course. Unfortunately, we didn't hit enough fairways and hit it to the middle of the green. We just continually wore ourselves down on a tough golf course. It just all added up in the end/"
On if the team is discouraged ... "I think frustrated is a better word. Discouraged implies that you have a sense of giving up. No one is really happy with the way we are playing, but we're definitely working hard every week and using each week as motivation for the next. None of us likes playing like this. We are all good players. We are doing a good job, I feel, of using this into channeling into working hard, instead of getting down on ourselves."
On his tournament play in Oklahoma ... "I was very happy with the way it turned out individually. I had a couple of shots from the fairway that I didn't really pull off and put myself in some bad spots, but I was able to get up and down a number of times. I didn't feel great over the ball. So I just tried to make sure that if I missed it, I missed it in the right spot and try to leave myself an easy shot around the green. Luckily, I was able to get a lot of balls around the green down in two to make par."
On his overall play in the fall season ... "Each week something has really come through. At our home tournament I hit the ball really well and putted very poorly. Last week, it was a little bit of a mix. I would have certain rounds where I hit it great and then one round that I didn't hit it well and putting was streaky. This week, I didn't hit the ball well at all, but I putted solid. It was mainly my shots between 40 yards and in that really saved me this week. Each week, it has been a little different. But I have been getting some good results. I am just going to keep working hard and hopefully put it all together soon."
N O T E S
• With his season-best tie for third at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate, Tim Schaetzel has finished among the top 10 individually in his last three consecutive events. Two weeks ago, he tied for eighth at the Wolverine Intercollegiate and followed that with a tie for seventh at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate.
• With the start at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate, Tim Schaetzel has started the last 20 tournaments for the Maize and Blue. In 23 career tournaments, he has 22 starts.
• Tim Schaetzel, Kevin Dore and Bill Rankin have started all four tournaments this season.
• Billy McKay made his collegiate start at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate. It marked his third overall career tournament for the Maize and Blue.
• The Oklahoma Intercollegiate marks the second tournament the Wolverines played that measured above 7,300 yards. The Wolverines trekked through 7,417 yards over the last three rounds. To open the season, the Wolverines played 7,345 yards at the Rich Harvest Farms Intercollegiate.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
