Michigan
Puerto Rico Classic
Kim Leads U-M to Tie for Ninth at Puerto Rico Classic
3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Course: Rio Mar Country Club, River Course (par 72, 6,902 yards)
Tournament: Puerto Rico Classic
U-M Standing: Tie-9th Place of 15 Teams (287-294-296/877)
Top U-M Individual: Lion Kim, tie-21st (71-71-73/215)
Next U-M Event: Sun-Tue., March 15-17 -- at Pinehurst Invitational (Pinehurst, N.C.)
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico -- Immersed in a strong field that included eight teams in the top 25 of Golfweek's ratings, the University of Michigan men's golf team tied for ninth place with an 877 total (287-294-296) at the Puerto Rico Classic, held Friday through Sunday (Feb. 27-March 1) at Rio Mar Country Club's par-72, 6,902-yard River Course.
Lion Kim
Sophomore Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) used a weekend of solid ball-striking to finish as the Wolverines' top individual, tying for 21st with a one-under-par total of 215 (71-71-73). Sophomore Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep Academy) posted U-M's low round of the tournament, shooting a three-under 69 Sunday to bounce back from his second-round disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Michigan opened the tournament with its best round and positioned itself in sixth place with a one-under 287, the team's fourth sub-par team round of the season. Kim's opening 71 was matched by junior Ross Millman (St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School), while senior co-captain Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) and Sitompul posted rounds of 72 and 73, respectively.
Paired with No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State and No. 8 Clemson in the second round, the Wolverines shot 294 Saturday and slipped three spots to ninth place. Kim led the way with another 71 -- the fourth time he has bettered par in 2008-09 -- while Pumford shot 73 and senior co-captain Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) carded a 74.
Michigan played with two more top-five squads -- No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Florida -- during the final 18 holes Sunday and put up a 296 total. Sitompul birdied his final hole for a 69 that featured five birdies and two bogeys, while Kim and Millman shot 73 and 75, respectively.
Millman fininshed tied for 48th with his 222 total (71-76-75) as his score counted toward the team total in each round. Rankin (75-74-79) and Pumford (72-73-83) wound up tied for 64th with 54-hole totals of 228.
No. 2-ranked Georgia claimed the team championship with a 38-under-par total of 826 (283-270-273), 12 strokes ahead of runner-up Clemson, while Hudson Swafford of Georgia and Dylan Fritelli of Texas tied for first in the individual standings with scores of 12-under 204.
The Wolverines will return to competition in two weeks when they travel to Pinehurst, N.C., for the Pinehurst Intercollegiate. The tournament runs Sunday through Tuesday, March 15-17, at the Pinehurst No. 8 Centennial Course at Pinehurst Resort.
Team Standings
1. Georgia 283-270-273 = 826 (-38)
2. Clemson 285-275-278 = 838
3. Oklahoma State 286-282-280 = 848
4. Texas 294-280-279 = 853
5. Georgia Tech 280-292-283 = 855
6. North Carolina State 281-286-291 = 858
7. Florida 288-289-282 = 859
8. Alabama 288-291-286 = 865
9. MICHIGAN 287-294-296 = 877
East Tennessee State 297-291-289 = 877
11. Kent State 295-288-297 = 880
12. Minnesota 296-295-290 = 881
Northwestern 294-297-290 = 881
14. Purdue 292-299-293 = 884
15. Virginia Tech 312-285-301 = 898
Top Individuals
1. Hudson Swafford, Georgia 70-67-67 = 204 (-12)
Dylan Fritelli, Texas 67-64-73 = 204
3. Russell Henley, Georgia 72-67-67 = 206
Brian Harman, Georgia 69-71-66 = 206
Ben Martin, Clemson 71-69-66 = 206
6. Billy Horschel, Florida 71-68-69 = 208
David May, Clemson 68-70-70 = 208
James White, Georgia Tech 68-70-70 = 208
9. Kyle Stanley, Clemson 72-67-70 = 209
10. Lance Lopez, Texas 73-72-65 = 210
Drew Weaver, Virginia Tech 76-68-66 = 210
Michigan Individuals
T21. Lion Kim 71-71-73 = 215 T48. Ross Millman 71-76-75 = 222 T64. Bill Rankin 75-74-79 = 228 T64. Nick Pumford 72-73-83 = 228 -- Alexander Sitompul 73-DQ-69 = DQ
NOTES
• Lion Kim's one-under 215 total at the Puerto Rico Classic marks the fifth 54-hole tournament a Wolverine has closed under par. Using back-to-back one-under 71s in the first two rounds of the event, Kim tallied his fifth and sixth under-par rounds of the season to take over the U-M lead for sub-par rounds.
• Ross Millman's one-under 71 gives him four rounds under par this season. Alexander Sitompul's third-round three-under 69 also gives him his fourth sub-par round this season.
• Alexander Sitompul was disqualified in the second round for signing an incorrect scorecard. He closed the round with a 77 but turned in a carded with a 76 total.
• With his start at the Puerto Rico Classic, Bill Rankin has now started 31 straight tournaments and has not missed a start in the last three seasons. Rankin -- along with Nick Pumford, Lion Kim and Ross Millman -- has started all seven events this season.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Andrew Sapp
On the tournament weekend ... "We got off to a great start. In the first round, we put ourselves in a position to really get ahead of some of the top-ranked teams in the country. Unfortunately, we just did not come through. We had a great opportunity to do that, but were not able to keep up the pace with some teams we played with. It is a little disappointing finishing ninth, but hopefully we can learn from this experience. We were able to play with three of the top-five teams, four of the top-10 teams and five among the top-15 -- including playing against some of the top individuals in the country, including three members of the last Walker Cup team.
"So, the guys got to face the best in the country. Hopefully, they will be more comfortable doing it the next time we play them. I just know the next time we face teams like this we will be able to use this to capitalize on it better. Glad to see Lion (Kim) play so well, finishing one-under par for the tournament. Seeing Alexander (Sitompul) come back with his three-under 69 was nice, especially after his unfortunate mistake that led to his disqualification in the second round. It has been great to see Ross (Millman) continue to play well. He really got us out of the gates early with his one-under 71 in the first round. There were some good things down here this weekend. We will return home, get some more work done, and get ready for the event at Pinehurst. Hopefully, we can go down there and use the experiences from this last tournament to help us stay hungry to win another event."
Players Mentioned
