Michigan
NCAA Championships (Day 2)
Red-Hot Wolverines Only Finish Nine Holes After Four-Hour Delay
5/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site:Toledo, Ohio
Course: Inverness Club (par 71, 7,255 yards)
Tournament: NCAA Championships (Day 2 of 3)
U-M Standing: Tie-3rd Place of 30 Teams (296-incomplete)
Top U-M Individual: Alexander Sitompul, tie-2nd (72-incomplete)
Next Event: Thu-Sat., May 28-30 -- at NCAA Championships (Toledo, Ohio), 6:45 a.m..
TOLEDO, Ohio -- As heavy rains and storms halted second-round play for four-and-a-half hours, the wait did not affect the University of Michigan men's golf team at the NCAA Championships as the Wolverines squeezed in just under 10 holes today (Wednesday, May 27) before play was called due to darkness. U-M is close to finishing the back side of the Inverness Club at six-under par, as the Maize and Blue has vaulted into a tie for third after 28 total holes.
The field was pulled off the course at 11:35 a.m. with strong weather patterns and more on the radar rolling through the Toledo area, and play resumed at 4:05 p.m. As the morning wave was able to finish its first round, the afternoon wave was not able to get onto the course untilapproximately 6 p.m., allowing for just about seven to 15 holes to be completed before play was called due to darkness. The remaining half of the field will complete the second round with an early-morning start at 6:45 a.m., pushing back the start of the third round to 10 a.m. on Friday.
The Wolverines got off to a red-hot start,teeing off the backside and playing the first four holes at six under par. Leading U-M was sophomore Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep), who posted five birdies in his first nine holes to make the turn at five under par, moving him into a tie for second individually with a current four-under total through 28 holes. Fellow sophomore Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) is following his classmate after finishing eight holes in the second round at three under par. In addition to U-M's sophomore duo, senior co-captain Bill Rankin (Traverse City, Mich./Central HS) finished nine holes at even par, while freshman Matt Thompson (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS) and senior co-captain Nick Pumford (St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles HS) both closed their first nine holes at two over par.
With the third day going to be altered with the completion of the second round in the morning, the 30-team field will look to close out the third round tomorrow (Thursday, May 28) to get back on schedule. At the end of the 54 holes, an individual champion will be crowned and only the top eight teams will advance to a match-play playoff to determine the 2009 team national champion.
Scoring is incomplete after the second round was suspended due to darkness
Team Standings (After Day 2)
1. Oklahoma State 288-280 = 568
2. Georgia 288-285 = 573
3. MICHIGAN 296 (-6, thru 8-10)
Texas A&M 298-276 = 574
5. Arizona State 294-281 = 575
6. Washington 293-286 = 579
7. Arkansas 297-283 = 580
8. Duke 297 (+1, thru 8-10)
9. Central Florida 300 (-1, thru 14-17)
Tennessee 294-289 = 583
11. San Diego 293 (+7, thru 9-13)
TCU 299 (+1, thru 9-13)
13. USC 305-281 = 586
Georgia Tech 301-285 = 586
Alabama 298-288 = 586
16. Ohio State 294 (+9, thru 11-14)
17. Chattanooga 292 (+12, thru 14-16)
18. Iowa 301 (+4, thru 8-10)
19. Northwestern 298 (+8, thru 11-14)
Illinois 299-291 = 590
21. South Carolina 305-286 = 591
22. Texas Tech 303 (+5, thru 14-17)
23. Oregon 306 (+5, thru 14-17)
24. Virginia 306 (+7, thru 11-14)
Florida 310-287 = 597
26. Wake Forest 302 (+12, thru 9-13)
27. UCLA 306-295 = 601
28. Stanford 305-298 = 603
29. Arizona 310 (+12, thru 14-16)
Texas 308 (+14, thru 14-16)
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Andrew Sapp
On the longer than usual second day of the NCAA Finals... "We were playing in perfect conditions after the rain stopped. We hated to stop, but that is golf. You can only control what you can control. We wanted to come out and take advantage of the scoring conditions. With the rains, the greens softened up and we wanted to take advantage of that. We just went as long as we could go. Again, you hated to stop, but we will come out early tomorrow and play as well as we can if not better and see what we can do. There is still plenty of golf to go."
On the long delay... "It really wasn't that frustrating. We hung out, ate lunch, and played some cards. Some guys went out and putted while other visited with their families. Overall, we just tried to relax and wait it out."
NOTES
• Michigan is making its first NCAA Championships appearance in 12 years. U-M's last appearance was in 1997, when the Wolverines closed 25th after a 36-hole total of 597 (300-297). The score did not advance them past 36 holes. Overall, it is U-M's 23rd NCAA postseason appearance as a team.
• All five Wolverines are making their NCAA Championships debut. Four of U-M's five starters have two years experience playing in an NCAA Regional. Bill Rankin, Nick Pumford, Alexander Sitompul and Lion Kim have back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances for the Maize and Blue.
• Andrew Sapp has now taken three different schools and four total programs to the NCAA Championships. Overall, he is making his 11th trip to nationals. In his coaching career, he has helped lead North Carolina, Purdue's men's and women's teams and now the Wolverines to the national tournament.
• After U-M dedicated the 2009 Big Ten Championships to former U-M great Ed Schalon, who passed away in December, the Wolverines continued in the NCAA postseason dedicating U-M's run to another U-M legend, Woodrow Malloy, who passed away this May. Malloy was the last surviving member of U-M's 1934 and 1935 NCAA championship team
• With his start at the NCAA Championships, Bill Rankin has now made 37 straight and has not missed a start in the last three seasons. Nick Pumford made his 23rd straight start for the Wolverines dating back to his junior year, while Lion Kim extended his consecutive start streak to 19. All three are the only Wolverines to start all 13 events this season.
Players Mentioned
