White, Choi Place in Top 25 at Hurricane Invitational

Wednesday, March 2

Miami, Fla.

8:00 AM

Michigan

Hurricane Invitational

White, Choi Place in Top 25 at Hurricane Invitational

3/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

March 2, 2016

Emily White

» Michigan posted a 289 final-round total and was seventh at the Hurricane Invitational with an 867 54-hole tally.
» Sophomore Emily White led U-M with a 216 (+3) individual total, posting her third top-20 finish of the season and tying for 20th (77-67-72).
» Junior Grace Choi posted her fourth top-25 individual finish of the season, tying or 24th with a 217 total.

Site: Miami, Fla.
Course: Biltmore Golf Course (par 71, 6,080 yards)
Tournament: Hurricane Invitational
U-M Team Standing: 7th Place of 16 Teams (292-286-289/867)
Top U-M Individual: Emily White, tie-20th (77-67-72/216, +3)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Tue., March 14-15 -- at Arizona Wildcat Invitational (Tucson, Ariz.)

MIAMI, Fla. -- With a pair of top-25 individual finishes by sophomore Emily White (t-20th) and junior Grace Choi (t-24th), the University of Michigan women's golf team tallied an 867 54-hole total today (Wednesday, March 2) and closed seventh at the Hurricane Invitational played at the Biltmore Golf Course.

"We made some nice progress this week at the Biltmore," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "Our scoring is getting better, and we gave ourselves plenty of opportunities to make birdies. We will be looking to sharpen up our scoring clubs as we head into the second half of our spring tournaments. The team should be pleased with their progress and solid finish. We are seeing some special moments, and it's only a matter of time before it comes together."

The Wolverines opened Miami's three-day event Monday (Feb. 29) posting a 292 first-round team total. Senior Catherine Peters helped position the Wolverines sixth after the first day with her even-par 71, while Choi added to the team total with her 72.

White highlighted U-M's second-round 286 (+2), firing a career-best 67 (-4). Using 10 pars, six birdies and two bogeys, she recorded her fifth sub-par round of the season, and career, to pace the Maize and Blue. With sophomores Megan Kim's 72 (+1) and Kathy Lim's second straight 73 (+2), the Wolverines remained in the sixth spot, just three shots back of cracking the top three.

In today's closing 289 final round, it was Choi's turn to lead as she closed with an even-par 71, while White followed her career-best with a final-round 72 (+1). With 73s from Peters and Kim, the Wolverines totaled a 289 team round but dropped one spot to seventh with an 867 tournament total.

Individually, White led U-M for the second time this season, posting her third top-20 finish as she closed exactly tied for 20th with a three-over 216 total. Just a single shot behind White with Choi's 217, which helped her collect her fourth top-25 finish of the season, as she tied for 24th. Peters (71-77-73) and Kim (76-72-73) each tied for 41st, while Lim tied for 45th at 222 (73-73-76).

"We were proud of Emily and the way she responded after her first round," said Dowling. "She made important adjustments to her iron distances, and it made all the difference. It's very impressive and special that she was able to break her personal college scoring record in her second competitive round of 2016 and complete the tournament with a solid top-20 finish."

The Wolverines will finish out the week playing and training in Florida while the university is on its spring break. U-M returns in Ann Arbor for a little more than a week before heading back out for tournament play. Michigan will head to Tucson, Arizona, Monday and Tuesday, March 14-15, for Arizona's Wildcat Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole event will be held at the Sewailo Golf Club.

"Our team is close to breaking through, and we have a wonderful opportunity to practice and play throughout the rest of the winter break," said Dowling. "It's a huge week for us as we make some adjustments and continue to improve."

Final Team Standings

 1. Northwestern            277-275-276 = 828 (-24) 2. Iowa State              281-286-282 = 849 3. Miami                   294-283-277 = 854 4. Tulane                  290-285-284 = 859 5. East Carolina           293-291-279 = 863 6. South Florida           285-292-287 = 864 7. MICHIGAN                292-286-289 = 867 8. Oklahoma                288-298-286 = 872 9. Louisville              299-285-289 = 87310. Purdue                  294-293-289 = 87611. Minnesota               292-295-291 = 87812. Baylor                  301-291-289 = 88113. Texas Tech              298-292-292 = 88214. Texas State             294-291-307 = 89215. Virginia Tech           303-303-290 = 89616. Florida International   306-300-294 = 900

Top Individuals

 1. Hannah Kim, Northwestern             67-68-64 = 199 (-14) 2. Emily Penttila, Tulane               68-70-66 = 204 3. Laura Lonardi, Baylor                73-65-69 = 207 4. F. Gustafsson Spang, East Carolina   71-71-67 = 209    Kacie Komoto, Northwestern           69-69-71 = 209 6. Daniela Darquea, Miami               74-68-68 = 210    Chayanit Wangmahaporn, Iowa State    71-70-70 = 211 8. Parinda Phokan, Iowa State           69-70-73 = 212    Sarah Cho, Northwestern              69-73-70 = 212    Nattapan Siritrai, Iowa State        68-73-71 = 212

Michigan Individuals

T20. Emily White        77-67-72 = 216T24. Grace Choi         72-74-71 = 217T41. Catherine Peters   71-77-73 = 221T41. Megan Kim          76-72-73 = 221T45. Kathy Lim          73-73-76 = 222

Communications Contact: Tom Wywrot