Michigan
Big Ten Championships (Day 2)
Wolverines 10th After 54 Holes of Big Ten Championships
5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: State College, Pa.
Course: Penn State Blue Course (par 71, 7,202 yards)
Tournament: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Standing: 10th Place of 11 Teams (285-302-299/886)
Top U-M Individual: Lion Kim, tie-13th (72-73-74/219)
Final Round: Sunday, May 3 -- at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- With a trio of three-over 74s in the third round, the University of Michigan men's golf team posted a 299 team score today (Saturday, May 2) and slipped to 10th place with 54-hole total of 886 at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, being held at Penn State's Blue Course.
Lion Kim
Sophomore Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) continues to pace the way for the Wolverines as he is tied for 13th with a 219 three-round total (72-73-74) after shooting 74 today. Sophomore Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep), who is tied for 24th at 222 (69-79-74), and senior co-captain Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS), who is tied for 28th at 223 (71-78-74), were the other Wolverines posting 74s to lead U-M in the third round.
Freshman Matt Thompson (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS), making his first Big Ten Tournament appearance, sits tied for 44th at 226 (73-74-79), while senior co-captain Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) has used three straight rounds of 77 to put him in a tie for 51st at 231.
As the battle for the conference crown heated up in the third round's moving day, No. 15 Illinois used an even-par 284 tally to vault itself into the tournament lead with an 864 total (292-288-284). The Illini hold a seven-shot lead over first-day leader Ohio State, which is second at 871 (289-290-292). The field is still closely bunched, as only six strokes separate the second position from the eighth spot in the 11-team field.
Individually, Northwestern's Eric Chun maintained his first-day lead with an even-par 71 in the third round, keeping him atop the leaderboard at four-under 209 (70-68-71). Chun holds a four-shot lead over a trio of players in the second spot at even-par 213 -- Penn State's Kevin Foley (73-70-70), Illinois' Matt Hoffman (72-69-72) and Wisconsin's Dan Woltman (72-69-72).
The Big Ten Championships conclude on Sunday (May 3) with the final 18 holes at Penn State's Blue Course. After playing together for the first 36 holes, Michigan will be paired with Michigan State and go off No. 10 starting at 8 a.m.
Team Standings (After Day 2)
1. Illinois 292-288-284 = 864 (+12)
2. Ohio State 289-290-292 = 871
3. Iowa 290-292-290 = 872
4. Northwestern 290-296-287 = 873
Purdue 293-297-283 = 873
Minnesota 287-294-292 = 873
7. Indiana 286-295-294 = 875
8. Wisconsin 295-292-290 = 877
9. Penn State 290-296-296 = 882
10. MICHIGAN 285-302-299 = 886
11. Michigan State 293-296-312 = 901
Top Individuals
1. Eric Chun, Northwestern 70-68-71 = 209 (-4)
2. Kevin Foley, Penn State 73-70-70 = 213
Matt Hoffman, Illinois 72-69-72 = 213
Dan Woltman, Wisconsin 72-69-72 = 213
5. Ben Pisani, Minnesota 70-72-72 = 214
6. Jorge Campillo, Indiana 69-73-73 = 215
Derek Chang, Minnesota 71-73-71 = 215
Chris DeForest, Illinois 76-70-69 = 215
Bo Hoag, Ohio State 72-72-71 = 215
10. Jack Newman, Michigan State 69-70-77 = 216
Michigan Individuals
T13. Lion Kim 72-73-74 = 219 T24. Alexander Sitompul 69-79-74 = 222 T28. Bill Rankin 71-78-74 = 223 T44. Matt Thompson 73-74-79 = 226 T51. Nick Pumford 77-77-77 = 231
NOTES
• Michigan has not played at Penn State's Blue Course since the 1996 Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines tied for fourth with a 1,195 total in their last event in State College, Pa.
• Lion Kim eagled the par-four No. 15 hole in the second round. He holed out from the fairway on his second shot, punching in a 7-iron from 148 yards out.
• Bill Rankin is making his third Big Ten Championships start, while Nick Pumford, Lion Kim and Alexander Sitompul are making their second. Matt Thompson is making his debut in the conference championship event.
• Bill Rankin has now made 35 straight starts and has not missed a start in the last three seasons, while Nick Pumford has started his last 21 events.
Players Mentioned
