Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Bauer Closes With Top-10 Finish to Lead U-M at Big Tens
4/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Site: State College, Pa.
Course: Penn State's Blue Course (par 72, 6,288 yards)
Tournament: 2008 Big Ten Championships
U-M Standing: 5th Place of 11 Teams (303-309-298-307/1217)
Top U-M Individual: Ashley Bauer, tie-10th (74-76-77-74/301)
Next Event: Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10 -- at NCAA Regional (TBD, if selected)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- With a career-best 301 72-hole championship total from sophomore Ashley Bauer (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) and a U-M freshman record 305 from freshman Min Yean Tan (Penang Island, Malaysia/Hills International College [Queensland, Australia]), the University of Michigan women's golf team closed with a fifth-place showing Sunday (April 27) at the 2008 Big Ten Championships at Penn State's Blue Course. The Wolverines closed with a 1217 72-hole total -- the fourth best in U-M history -- to close among the top half in the conference tournament.
After opening with team tallies of 303 and 309 during Friday's (April 25) first 36 holes, the Wolverines found themselves in sixth place with a 612 total. Using a career-best three-under 69 from junior co-captain Lydia Benitez Colon (Dorado, P.R./Pendleton School) in the third round U-M posted a season-best-tying 298 to move into a tie for fifth at 910, along with Wisconsin. After rains drenched the course following the third round of play, the Maize and Blue posted a final championship team total of 307 in rain soaked conditions to close is sole possession of fifth place with a 1217 72-hole even total.
For the seventh time this season, Bauer finished as the top Wolverine at a tournament event as she tied for 10th at the Big Ten Championships with a career-best 301 72-hole total. Opening with a two-over 74 in the first round, putting miscues and missed opportunities had her posting rounds of 76 and 77 during the next 36 holes, but still had her among the top 20 in the field as she was tied for 16th after 54 holes. Striking the ball well in the final round a couple of three-putts hampered her final round, but she still posted a team best two-over 74 to earn her fourth top 10 finish of the season. In fact, the top 10 finish at the conference tournament is the fifth straight year a Wolverine has been able to finish among the top 10 in the championship event.
After leading the Wolverines for 54-of-72 holes, Tan closed her first Big Ten Championship tying for 19th with a U-M freshman record 305 72-hole total. After equaling Bauer's two-over 74 in the first round, she posted a three-over 75 in the second round to sit tied for seventh after the first day of play. A round of 77 in the third round followed with a 79 in the final round pushed her back in the standings, but she was able to post her first top 20 finish of her career as she tied for 19th.
Benitez Colon highlighted her championship with a career-best three-under 69 in the third round helping her to a career-best 72-hole total of 309 and a tie for 30th place. After she opened with rounds of 83 and 80, she had the career round of 69 before closing with a 77 to improve her previous best 72-hole tournament total by 42 strokes -- 351 at the 2007 Big Ten Championships.
Like Benitez Colon, sophomore Andrea Ratigan (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS) had a career-best performance at the Big Ten Championships with a 317 total and tie for 45th finish after posting rounds of 76, 81, 75 and 85. In her first Big Ten event, freshman Louisa Shu (West Bloomfield, Mich./Birmingham Seaholm HS) tied for 49th with a 321 total after posting rounds of 80, 78, 81 and 82, while senior co-captain Lindsay Davis (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) closed 59th with a 324 total after rounds of 79, 83, 85 and 77.
Leading from start to finish and with three individuals finishing among the top five, No. 6 Purdue ran away with the 2008 Big Ten title with an 1169 72-hole total (298-288-286-297). The Boilermakers finished 21-strokes ahead of runner-up No. 21 Michigan State, who closed at 1190 (292-303-295-300). No. 36 Ohio State rounded out the top three closing third with a 1202 total (307-293-303-299). Purdue's Maria Hernandez posted three rounds under par to win Big Ten medalist honors by 10 strokes after a seven-under 281 total (75-71-66-69). Boilermaker teammate Christel Boeljon was the runner-up at 291 (73-70-75-73), while Iowa's Tyrette Metzendorf was third at 295 (81-70-73-71).
With the regular season and conference season slate now completed, the Wolverines will have to wait to see if they will be selected for a spot at one of three NCAA Regional sites. If the Maize and Blue are not selected U-M's season is completed.
Team Standings
1. Purdue 298-288-286-297 = 1169 (+17)
2. Michigan State 292-303-295-300 = 1190
3. Ohio State 307-293-303-299 = 1202
4. Indiana 306-302-300-306 = 1214
5. MICHIGAN 303-309-298-307 = 1217
6. Wisconsin 314-292-304-313 = 1223
7. Northwestern 306-307-303-310 = 1226
8. Iowa 325-291-308-307 = 1231
Minnesota 308-310-305-308 = 1231
10. Penn State 305-308-311-312 = 1236
11. Illinois 314-315-305-307 = 1241
Top Individuals
1. Maria Hernandez, Purdue 75-71-66-69 = 281 (-7)
2. Christel Boeljon, Purdue 73-70-75-73 = 291
3. Tyrette Metzendorf, Iowa 81-70-73-71 = 295
4. Laura Kueny, Michigan State 78-73-71-75 = 297
Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Purdue 74-73-73-77 = 297
6. Teresa Puga, Minnesota 77-74-75-73 = 299
7. Sara Brown, Michigan State 70-82-73-75 = 300
Emma Jandel, Ohio State 76-70-80-74 = 300
Aimee Neff, Michigan State 73-75-75-77 = 300
10. ASHLEY BAUER, U-M 74-76-77-74 = 301
Carling Coffing, Ohio State 78-75-74-74 = 301
Junthima Gulyanamitta, Purdue 76-74-72-79 = 301
In-Hong Lim, Ohio State 77-71-77-76 = 301
Other Michigan Individuals
T19. Min Yean Tan 74-75-77-79 = 305 T30. Lydia Benitez Colon 83-80-69-77 = 309 T45. Andrea Ratigan 76-81-75-85 = 317 T49. Louisa Shu 80-78-81-82 = 321 59. Lindsay Davis 79-83-85-77 = 324
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Kathy Teichert
On the Wolverines' performance at the Big Ten Championships ... "In the end, I just told the girls 'good job.' We were ranked eighth going into it and we finished fifth. We were even closer at the turn in the final round sitting fourth, but we just didn't get those final scores like I thought we were going to get. I am pleased though. To finish in the top half of this field is a good accomplishment. We obviously wanted to win this event -- like every tournament -- but this is a tough event and there are some really good teams here. We have strong caliber players on this team and we really didn't show what we could do in the fall. It was really this spring that we really got to show what we are capable of and it shows at this tournament. Can we be better Yes. I wanted to get in the top three, but we have a bright future ahead of us and this is just a step this team needed to take to get better. There are a lot of potential professional golfers in this field and to compete with them and stay with them is going to pay dividends in the future."
On the play of Ashley Bauer and Min Yean Tan ... "There is no question our future looks bright. To have Ashley and Min Yean play so well really pleases me. Ashley is just so consistent and has been there for us all season long. She is just such a trooper and an ambassador for us. She just has that 'it' factor. She is always striving to do well even when she plays well, she always wants to do better and improve. Min Yean really buckled down this weekend and showed us a lot. She had to grind out this tournament, but she remained strong throughout and I am proud of her for that. Min Yean had to close with a birdie on the 18th hole to finish with a 79 and she just said 'I am not going to shoot an 80, I am not going to shoot an 80' and she came through on that last hole. That really, really says a lot about her. Ashley and Min Yean are just class acts. They played with pride and gave it everything they could."
U-M Sophomore Ashley Bauer
On the team's performance at the Big Ten Championships ... "We played pretty well overall. Coming in we were rated seventh or eighth among the teams, so we outperformed our ranking and that was good for this team. We had some good scores throughout the weekend -- Lydia's 69 was just great. I know each of us would say we left a few shots out there and that is hard to take, but we gave it a good shot. We played consistent and posted a couple good rounds as a team. I am not sure we did enough to make the regional, but we tried our best. That is all you can ask for sometimes."
On her championship performance ... "To be honest, I could have played a little better, but I am happy with the top 10 finish. In the final round I played well and hit 16 greens, but I had a three putt and a four putt. So there were a lot of strokes I left out there all weekend. I was consistent other than a few holes that just really came back to get me. There were about 10 strokes I would like to get back. A lot of them were just stupid errors or really just putting. But I played well and I cannot be that disappointed."
Freshman Min Yean Tan
On her first experience at the Big Ten Championships ... "The first couple of rounds I was really nervous, but I played well so it calmed me down a little bit. The whole tournament was a big struggle, it was just such a big challenge for me. I played a lot of four day tournaments but this time the best part of my game was not performing and that is ball striking. It was just terrible the entire tournament. I just hung in there from the first hole to the 72nd hole. It was such a good experience."
On the team's fifth-place showing ... "As a team, we really got together at this tournament. Some of girl's didn't play as well as they would have liked, but we had people step up and really get some scores when we needed it. Everyone tried their best and didn't give up. We have made a lot of strides from the fall and it showed here."
NOTES
• Michigan's 1217 72-hole Big Ten Championships total was the fourth best team posting in school history. The only other better totals were 1194 (2002-03), 1202 (2005-06) and 1215 (1999-2000).
• Michigan's 298 third-round tally at the Big Ten Championships equaled the team low this season and was just the third sub-300 round of the season. The Wolverines also had a 298 team tally in the second round of the Mountain View Challenge (March 29-30).
• Ashley Bauer's 301 (74-76-77-74) Big Ten Championships total smashed her prior 72-hole career-best by 17 strokes. In her only other 72-hole event, Bauer had a 318 total (80-71-79-78), tying for 33rd at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. She tied for 10th individually at the 2008 Big Ten Championships to also set a new career best finish at the conference tournament.
• With her tie for 10th individual finish, Ashley Bauer extended Michigan's streak to five years of having at least one individual among the top 10 at the Big Ten Championships.
• Min Yean Tan's 305 (74-75-77-79) 2008 Big Ten Championships total is a U-M record by a freshman. Tan topped the 306 performances of Brianna Broderick (76-75-76-79) in 2004 and Kim Benedict (81-75-75-75) in 2000 for the Maize and Blue distinction.
• With her 309 (83-80-69-77) Big Ten Championships performance, Lydia Benitez Colon smashed her prior best 72-hole tournament total by 42 strokes. Last year she tallied a 351 (94-87-81-89) total at the 2007 Big Ten Championships (April 27-29). Following suite, Andrea Ratigan smashed her prior best 72-hole event total by 25 strokes after closing with a 317 (76-81-75-85) this weekend. Last year she posted a 342 total (90-87-80-85) at the Big Ten Championships.
• Lydia Benitez Colon set a new career-best with a three-under 69 in the third round of the Big Ten Championships. Overall it marked the first under-par round of her career and is only the second Wolverine under par this entire season. Bentez Coln's prior best was a third round even-par 72 posted in the first tournament this season at the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 8-9).
• Lindsay Davis played in her fourth straight Big Ten Championship, while Ashley Bauer, Lydia Benitez Colon and Andrea Ratigan competed in their second conference tournament. Louisa Shu and Min Yean Tan played in their first conference championship.
• Ashley Bauer started her 23rd straight tournament for U-M at the 2008 Big Ten Championships. She has yet to miss a start for U-M during her career. Lindsay Davis has started her last 14 straight events. In addition Bauer and Davis, Min Yean Tan at the only Wolverines to have started all 11 tournaments this season.
Throughout the entire Big Ten championship weekend, former Wolverines Jan Idomir-Casey, Lisa DiMatteo and Val Madill-Gibbs were there in support of the Maize and Blue.
Players Mentioned
