Michigan
Wolverine Intercollegiate
U-M Leads Wolverine Intercollegiate with Three in Top 10
9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Course: U-M Golf Course (par 71, 6,704 yards)
Tournament: Wolverine Intercollegiate (Day 1)
U-M Team Standing: 1st Place of 11 Teams (278-280/558) after Day One
Top U-M Individual: Chris O'Neill, 1st Place (65-68/133)
Next Event: Sunday, Sept. 7 -- host Wolverine Intercollegiate - Day 2 (U-M Golf Course), 8 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior Chris O'Neill (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run HS) is nine under to top the individual field, and freshman Kyle Mueller (Athens, Ga./Athens Academy) is tied for second to help the University of Michigan men's golf team hold a 16-stroke lead (10 under) after 36 holes of the Wolverine Intercollegiate today (Saturday, Sept. 6) at the U-M Golf Course.
During the day's first round, O'Neill led the field with his career-best six-under 65; the round featured four birdies to go with his eagle on No. 1. Mueller was right behind him at second place in the standings after his collegiate debut produced a four-under 67, aided by a six-hole stretch on the back nine that featured five birdies.
The day's second 18 holes provided more low numbers for the Wolverines. O'Neill carded a 68 to add to his first-place lead, while Mueller shot a one-under 70 to finish the day at 137 and lock into a tie for second place. Sophomore Bryce Evon (Windsor, Ontario/Vincent Massey Secondary) also cracked the top 10 during the afternoon's round, matching his first-round total of 71 to finish at 142, which placed him in a tie for sixth.
Sitting four strokes behind Evon is sophomore Tom Swanson (Missoula, Mont./Loyola Sacred Heart HS), who carded a pair of birdies over his final six holes to finish his second round at even par and tie him for 29th place. Classmate Reed Hrynewich (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores HS) shaved two strokes off his first-round 75 on the day's second 18 holes, finishing at 148, good for a tie-36th.
Playing as individuals, junior Brett McIntosh (London, Ontario, Canada/Saunders Secondary School) and senior Noori Hyun (Seoul, Korea/Centreville HS [Va.]) earned their way into the field's top 25 with totals of 143 and 144, respectively, with McIntosh in a tie for 11th place. Sophomore Andrew Yeager (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) also competed as an individual, finishing the day with a 150 total.
U-M will look to claims its 10th overall home title when the Wolverine Intercollegiate concludes tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 7), with the final 18 holes beginning at 8 a.m. The Maize and Blue, which tees off at 8:45 a.m., will be paired with Eastern Michigan and Wisconsin for the final round.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. MICHIGAN 278-280 = 558 (-10)
2. Wisconsin 288-286 = 574
3. Eastern Michigan 285-290 = 575
Kansas 288-287 = 575
5. Penn State 289-287 = 576
6. Wichita State 290-289 = 579
7. San Jose State 287-293 = 580
8. Fresno State 299-292 = 591
Xavier 302-289 = 591
10. Harvard 298-295 = 593
11. Rutgers 304-298 = 602
Top Individuals
1. CHRIS O'NEILL, U-M 65-68 = 133 (-9)
2. KYLE MUELLER, U-M 67-70 = 137
JD Dornes, Penn State 71-66 = 137
4. Cody Blick, San Jose State 70-68 = 138
5. Grant Bennett, Wichita State 70-71 = 141
6. BRYCE EVON, U-M 71-71 = 142
Alec Heinen, Wichita State 72-70 = 142
Scott Munger, San Jose State 70-72 = 142
Thomas O'Bryan, Wisconsin 72-70 = 142
Nicholas Ross, Eastern Michigan 74-68 = 142
Other U-M Individuals
T29. Tom Swanson 75-71 = 146 T36. Reed Hrynewich 75-73 = 148 T11. Brett McIntosh 72-71 = 143* (+1) T20. Noori Hyun 73-71 = 144* T45. Andrew Yeager 73-77 = 150*
* playing as individual
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Chris Whitten
On what stuck out to him on the scorecards after his team's first 36 holes ... "We really started slowly, which I was surprised by a little bit, but as we got more comfortable and the day went on, the guys figured some things out. We got some nice individual performances; we just need more of it tomorrow."
On freshman Kyle Mueller's debut ... "His game is very steady and that's what he was doing the entire round until he found it over the last five holes. He birdied five of his last six and that was basically his day right there. Everything else was really solid, so great start for him and it's something to build on."
On what the team needs to carry over to tomorrow's final 18 ... "We have to play loose and have fun out there. The guys are comfortable on this course so we need to just do what we normally do and let the scores take care of themselves."
U-M Assistant Coach Nick Pumford
On playing host for the season's first event ... "I thought the course was in phenomenal shape, especially with the amount of rain we've got in the last couple weeks. Scott and his crew have done a wonderful job and even leading up to qualifying, they had things in tournament condition just for us. Having the course in great shape like that showed with our scores today. The guys knew what to expect, they were prepared and they came out and played."
On being to evaluate more players than normal by including three individual competitors in the field ... "It's always nice to start off at home, especially for the guys that can transition into playing competitive tournament rounds again. A lot of them haven't played competitive rounds in a month, so to be able to do that, sleep in their own beds and get comfortable playing a golf course they know is a huge advantage."
U-M Junior Chris O'Neill
On his career-best 65 in the day's first round ... "I played really solid. I made a lot of putts and overall I think that masked some of the other shots I was hitting, because I was able to make those putts. I felt I played two good rounds, though."
On the comfort of playing the season's first event at home ... "It's a lot easier when you're playing a course that you've played fifty times or so; you know where to miss and you know all the breaks in the greens. You still have to go out and do it, but I think it is a big advantage for us to be at home."
On the message to the team heading into tomorrow's final round ... "I think we need to go out and keep doing what we did today. If we can do that again, we'll be able to improve on our lead, which is what we're looking to do; we don't want to just hold onto it. We're going to try and go out and play really well tomorrow."
U-M Freshman Kyle Mueller
On his first career round at the collegiate level ... "I was definitely nervous on the first tee and I haven't experienced that in a while. I made par on eight of my first nine holes, so I was feeling pretty good and I got it going on the back nine. It feels good to get the first one out of the way and look forward to nothing but great things in the future."
On where he felt his strengths were during today's action ... "I just hit the ball well, it was really solid all around. I missed a couple putts here and there but overall it was a solid round."
NOTES
• Junior Chris O'Neill carded a career-best 65 during the day's first round, besting his previous career low by one stroke.
• Freshman Kyle Mueller, who started his first collegiate event, fired a four-under 67 in the opening round to set his career best.
• San Jose State redshirt freshman Matthew Ashley sank his second shot on the 530-yard par-five first hole for a double eagle. Ashley drove to within 188 yards of the pin and launched an eight-iron to card the elusive albatross.
Players Mentioned
