Michigan
Pinehurst Intercollegiate
Pumford, Rankin Help U-M to Tie for Ninth at Pinehurst
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Pinehurst, N.C.
Course: Centennial Pinehurst No. 8 (par 72, 7,092 yards)
Tournament: Pinehurst Intercollegiate
U-M Standing: Tie-9th Place of 20 Teams (306-294-291/891)
Top U-M Individuals: Nick Pumford (75-74-71) and Bill Rankin (78-72-70), tie-22nd (220)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., March 27-29 -- at FAU Spring Break Championship (Delray Beach, Fla.)
PINEHURST, N.C. -- The University of Michigan men's golf team rebounded from a poor opening day with two good scores in the final two rounds and finished in a tie for ninth place at the 20-team Pinehurst Intercollegiate, held Sunday through Tuesday (March 15-17) at the Pinehurst No. 8 Centennial Course at Pinehurst Resort.
Nick Pumford
Michigan used a good finish Tuesday for a final-round 291 that tied Marquette for the day's sixth-best score and moved the Wolverines up five spots in the standings with an 891 total (306-294-291). U-M's players were a collective two under par over the final three holes today, allowing them to catch Miami (Ohio) for a ninth-place tie and finish in the top half of the field.
Senior co-captains Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) and Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) led the charge on the final day with under-par scores, as Rankin fired a two-under 70 and Pumford shot 71. Rankin finished with birdies on 9 and 10 and a par on 11 en route to making five total birdies and three bogeys, while Pumford birdied three holes, including both par 5s on the back nine, and had two bogeys.
Sophomore Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) added a 74 on Tuesday, while junior Ross Millman (St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School) shot 76 to round out the scores that counted toward the team total.
With their strong closing rounds, Rankin and Pumford moved into the top 25 of the final individual standings, each finishing among the six players tied for 22nd at 220. Rankin played the par 5s in four under par for the week, and his 220 total (78-72-70) included a second-round 72 that featured birdies on four holes, including 16 and 18. Pumford (75-74-71) had Michigan's low score on the first day and birdied the par-5 17th hole in all three rounds.
Michigan opened with a 306 in the first round on a cold, rainy and windy day that prevented eight teams from finishing due to darkness. In next-to-last place after the completion of the first round Monday morning, Michigan fired a 294 in the second round to climb to 14th place.
Kim lowered his score each day and ended up tied for 44th place at 225 (76-75-74), while sophomore Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep Academy) tied for 57th with a 227 total (77-73-77). Sitompul eagled the par-5 17th hole in the opening round, and he made one birdie, two bogeys and 15 pars -- including seven in a row to start his round and eight straight at the end -- for his second-round 73.
With four players shooting under par Tuesday, Penn State used a nine-under 279 to seize the team title with a two-under total of 862 (290-293-279), five strokes ahead of runner-up Virginia Tech (290-293-284/867). Penn State's T.J. Howe fired a 67 in the final round to take medalist honors with a seven-under total of 209 (73-69-67), three shots clear of Virginia Tech's Drew Weaver (72-69-71/212).
The Wolverines will be back in action next weekend at Florida Atlantic's Spring Break Championship in Delray Beach, Fla. The 54-hole tournament will be held Friday through Sunday (March 27-29) at Gleneagles Country Club.
Team Standings
1. Penn State 290-293-279 = 862 (-2)
2. Virginia Tech 290-293-284 = 867
3. Michigan State 295-285-297 = 877
Minnesota 293-296-288 = 877
Virginia Commonwealth 299-290-288 = 877
6. UNC Wilmington 302-292-289 = 883
7. Marquette 298-298-291 = 887
8. Old Dominion 303-292-295 = 890
9. MICHIGAN 306-294-291 = 891
Miami (Ohio) 294-299-298 = 891
11. Southern Mississippi 296-295-301 = 892
12. Eastern Kentucky 294-300-302 = 896
13. Radford 300-296-303 = 899
14. UNC Greensboro 304-294-303 = 901
Wichita State 304-299-298 = 901
16. Ball State 305-296-303 = 904
17. Western Illinois 301-304-304 = 909
18. Toledo 300-308-303 = 911
19. Belmont 309-308-297 = 914
20. Marshall 303-309-309 = 921
Top Individuals
1. T.J. Howe, Penn State 73-69-67 = 209 (-7)
2. Drew Weaver, Va. Tech 72-69-71 = 212
3. Marshall Bailey, Va. Tech 70-72-71 = 213
Mike Van Sickle, Marquette 70-71-72 = 213
5. Nathan Sutherland, Miami 68-72-74 = 214
6. Eric Onesi, Old Dominion 72-69-74 = 215
7. Victor Almstrom, Minnesota 72-72-72 = 216
8. Graham Baillargeon, MSU 74-70-73 = 217
Kevin Foley, Penn State 73-73-71 = 217
Mark Jargren, VCU 73-73-71 = 217
Michigan Individuals
T22. Bill Rankin 78-72-70 = 220 T22. Nick Pumford 75-74-71 = 220 T44. Lion Kim 76-75-74 = 225 T57. Alexander Sitompul 77-73-77 = 227 101. Ross Millman 80-84-76 = 240
NOTES
• With his two-under 70 in the final round, Bill Rankin posted his sixth round under par this season. Nick Pumford had a one-under 71 in the final round as well to help him to his seventh round under par and retake the team lead for rounds in the red.
• With Bill Rankin and Nick Pumford leading the Wolverines at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate, they both have now finished as the top Wolverine in three of the seven events this season. Lion Kim is the only other player to lead the Maize and Blue at a tournament.
• With his start at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate, Bill Rankin has now started 32 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 eight events this season.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Andrew Sapp
On the tournament ... "Obviously we got off to a horrendous start in the first round, which put us near the bottom of the pack. We had to dig out of a big hole. That is not the position you want to be in a field like this. We didn't play all that well in the second round, but it was good to see some improved play. We closed out okay with good round scores from Bill (Rankin) and Nick (Pumford), which helped us move up the leaderboard a little bit. Overall, it just was a disappointing finish because of the disappointing start. We lost to a lot of teams we are used to beating pretty handily. We are looking forward to the good weather back to Ann Arbor, working out some of the kinks, and getting things squared away before we head back out to Florida."
Players Mentioned
