Michigan
River Landing Intercollegiate
Sitompul Guides Wolverines to Fourth at River Landing
4/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Wallace, N.C.
Course: River Course at River Landing Golf Course (par 72, 6,942 yards)
Tournament: River Landing Intercollegiate
U-M Standing: 4th Place of 15 Teams (289-288-285/862)
Top U-M Individual: Alexander Sitompul, tied-3rd (70-71-70/211)
Next Event: Fri-Sun., May 1-3 -- at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.)
WALLACE, N.C. -- Paced by all five U-M players mounting strong finishes on the final nine holes, the University of Michigan men's golf team rallied on the River Course in the final round today (Saturday, April 11) to post a three-under 285 tally and close with a 862 54-hole total to finish fourth at the River Landing Intercollegiate. The comeback finish helped U-M post its sixth top-five finish and the second sub-par 54-hole total of the season.
After falling back to as low as sixth place after the first nine holes today, the Wolverines played 10-under par on the back nine to vault into the top three, but Wake Forest also caught fire late and just nipped the Wolverines for a top-three finish. U-M posted a final-round, three-under 285. Sophomores Lion Kim(Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) and Alexander Sitompul(Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep) led the final-round charge with Kim closing with a four-under 68 and Sitompul posting his second two-under 70 on the tournament.
Sitompul helped the Wolverines get off to a solid start in the first round, posting a two-under 70, while freshman Matt Thompson's(Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS) one-under 71 helped U-M open the 54-hole event with a one-over 289 team tally. Starting off the back nine, Sitompul caught fire early, playing the first six holes at five-under, including a string of five straight birdiesfrom No. 11 to No. 15. He closed the next 13 holes at three over, but his early start helped him to his fifth sub-par round of the season. Thompson opened his tournament with three straight bogeys before closing the back with four birdies in his next six holes to help him make the turn at one-under, where he stayed for the remainder of the round.
Using their length and touch into the greens, the Wolverines capitalized in the second round, playing six-under on four par-five holesto help close with an even-par 288 tally, giving U-M a 577 36-hole total and a fourth-place position after day one. Highlighting the play on the par-five holeswere two eagles by Sitompul (No. 7 and No. 13) and one by Thompson (No. 13).
Individually for the Wolverines, Sitompul closed the regular season with a career-best 54-hole finish at five-under 211 to lead U-M andfinish with a career-best tie for third place. Along the way to the top career performance, the sophomore tallied three straight sub-par rounds as he sandwiched two-under 70s in the first and final rounds around a one-under 71 in the second round.
Thompson posted his second straight top-15 individual performance in his third start of the season, tying for 13th with an even-par 216 tally (71-73-72). Kim used a final-round, three-under 68 to close tied for 26th at two-over 218 (76-75-68). Senior co-captain Bill Rankin(Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) tied for 43rd at 222 (72-72-78) and fellow-senior co-captain Nick Pumford(St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) tied for 50th at 223 (76-72-75).
After taking a seven-shot lead after 36 holes, host N.C. State (278-285-293) could not maintain the top position as Duke rallied to win the tournament with a 850 total (290-280-280). The Wolf Packclaimed runner-up at 856 and Wake Forest (286-288-286) was third, just two shots ahead of U-M at 860. Despite not getting the team title, N.C. State's Matt Hill led wire to wire to win medalist honors with a 10-under 206 total (67-71-68). Duke's Matthew Pierce was the runner-up at 210 (70-69-71), just ahead of U-M's Sitompul and Maryland's John Pepeck (70-70-71), who each tallied 211.
The Wolverines have completed their regular-season schedule and will now shift the focus towards the postseason, starting with the Big Ten Championships. The Maize and Blue will head to State College, Pa., Friday through Sunday (May 1-3) for the 72-hole conference championships on Penn State's Blue Course.
Team Standings
1. Duke 290-280-280 = 850 (-14) 2. N.C. State 278-285-293 = 856 3. Wake Forest 286-288-286 = 860 4. MICHIGAN 289-288-285 = 862 5. Virginia Tech 291-290-283 = 864 6. Tulsa 284-295-286 = 865 7. Memphis 295-299-283 = 877 8. Virginia 293-301-284 = 878 9. East Carolina 288-303-290 = 881 10. North Carolina 289-300-295 = 884 11. Maryland 292-305-290 = 887 12. Houston 297-306-291 = 894 13. Rice 299-303-293 = 895 14. Hartford 296-299-301 = 896 15. Kansas 299-304-296 = 899
Top Individuals
1. Matt Hill, N.C. State 67-71-68 = 206 (-10) 2. Matthew Pierce, Duke 70-69-71 = 210 3. ALEXANDER SITOMPUL, U-M 70-71-70 = 211 John Popeck, Maryland 70-70-71 = 211 5. Marshall Bailey, Virginia Tech 73-70-70 = 213 Dustin Groves, Wake Forest 71-70-72 = 213 Wes Roach, Duke 73-71-69 = 213 8. Darren Blair, N.C. State 69-71-74 = 214 Brendan Gielow, Wake Forest 72-70-72 = 214 10. Kent Copeland, N.C. State 71-71-73 = 215* Jordan Payne, Memphis 75-72-68 = 215 Blake Redmond, Virginia Tech 71-74-70 = 215
Michigan Individuals
T13. Matt Thompson 71-73-72 = 216 T26. Lion Kim 76-74-68 = 218 T43. Bill Rankin 72-72-78 = 222 T50. Nick Pumford 76-72-75 = 223 * played as individual
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N O T E S
Michigan's final-round tally of three-under 285 gives the Wolverines their sixth sub-par team tally of the season. Earlier this season, U-M tied the all-time team record with a nine-under 275 in the second round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate.
Alexander Sitompul's five-under 211 total marks the seventh 54-hole tournament a Wolverine has closed under par. Nick Pumford holds the top event performance this season with a four-under 209 at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate.
Michigan finished the River Landing Intercollegiate with nine rounds at or below par. Alexander Sitompul led the way with three straight to give him seven on the season. So far this season, the Wolverines have compiled 50 rounds at or below.
Alexander Sitompul posted a career-best, 54-hole total of five-under 211 at the River Landing Intercollegiate. It topped the 212 he had at the 2007 Prestige. He also topped his career best with a tie for third individually, bettering the tie for fourth he had at the 2007 Prestige.
With his tie for 13th, Matt Thompson has now posted four top-20 finishes in six events this season. He has shot five rounds at or below par in his last nine rounds.
Michigan tallied four eagles during the River Landing Intercollegiate. Alexander Sitompul led the way with three (No. 7, 13 second round and No. 14, third), while Matt Thompson had one (No. 13, second round).
Bill Rankin has now made 34 straightstartsand has not missed a start in the last three seasons. With his start, Nick Pumford has startedthe last 20 events. Rankin -- along with Pumford and Lion Kim -- has started all 10 events this season.
Matt Thompson started his third tournament of the campaign and made his second straight start for the Wolverines. Overall, he has played in six events this season.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Andrew Sapp
On the tournament finish ... "After a poor start, the guys really rallied on the back nine -- more specifically the last six holes to really almost help us move up because after the first nine holes we were in sixth place So, fortunately, with everyone shooting under par on the back nine, it helped us close out strong with the three-under 285 and helped us close the tournament under par, marking the first time we have been able to do that since our home event, the Wolverine Intercollegiate in the fall. That was definitely a good thing. Unfortunately, we were not able to catch Wake Forest or Duke and N.C. State, but we did play well today. We did some things well this weekend, but there are still a few areas we can improve upon."
On the fourth-place finish ..."I am proud of the way we played today. Obviously, Alexander (Sitompul) led the way with three rounds under par, which was just spectacular. Lion (Kim) bounced back from a difficult day yesterday and Matt (Thompson) continues to play well with another solid finish. It was a good tournament. I would have liked to have a couple more ACC wins under our belt, but we will worry more about the Big Ten teams and the upcoming Big Ten Championships."
On getting ready for the postseason ... "Going into Big Ten's we will be able to finish up the academic side of things over the next few weeks, continue our preparations and hopefully peak at the right time. We have had two solid tournaments in a row, whichhelps out. It gives us some momentum going into the postseason. Hopefully, like I said, we will peak at Big Tens, then the regional and even beyond that."
U-M Sophomore Alexander Sitompul
On the tournament ... "Overall, I am just happy with the way that we finished. I didn't realize we had a poor start today during the first nine holes, but it was nice to see us rally like we did. It could have gotten a lot worse and really could have gone anywhere, but it was relieving to see us come through in the end. I played okay this weekend. I was just happy for the team more than my finish. We just need to use this tournament to keep working hard as we prepare of the postseason."
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
