This Week in Michigan Women's Golf: Landfall Tradition

THIS WEEK
Fri-Sun., Oct. 27-29 -- Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, N.C.)
Live Scoring | Country Club of Landfall | Landfall Tradition Information

On the Tee: Landfall Tradition
For the second straight event, the University of Michigan women's golf team faces one of its toughest fields. Closing out the fall season, the Wolverines head to Wilmington, North Carolina, for UNC Wilmington's Landfall Tradition, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 27-29, at the Country Club of Landfall. In another stellar field, the entire 18-team field is among the top-100 in the nation, with nine of the top-25 and four of the top-10. The 54-hole event will be play over the three days with the course set up for a par 72 and 6,166 yards.

The Landfall Tradition Field
There will be 18 teams competing in the Landfall Tradition, including No. 2 Alabama, No. 67 Central Florida, No. 35 Clemson, No. 4 Duke, No. 15 Florida, No. 8 Furman, No. 56 Kentucky, No. 87 LSU, No. 59 Michigan, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 27 N.C. State, No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 50 Penn State, No. 19 Purdue, No. 7 South Carolina, No. 77 UNC Wilmington and No. 24 Virginia.

The Landfall Tradition Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 25 -- Travel Day
Thursday, Oct. 26 -- Practice Round, 7:30 a.m. (shotgun)
Friday, Oct. 27 -- First Round (18), 8:30 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Saturday, Oct. 28 -- Second Round (18), 8:30 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Sunday, Oct. 29 -- Final Round (18), 8:45 a.m. (shotgun)

The Michigan Lineup at Landfall Tradition
Michigan's starting five will be junior Elodie Van Dievoet, freshman Ashley Kim, senior Emily White, senior Kathy Lim and sophomore Hannah Ghelfi.

Michigan's History at the Landfall Tradition
• It's been nine years since U-M competed in the Landfall Tradition.
• Michigan had a string of four straight events from 2005-08. The Wolverines recorded their best finish, tying for third in 2008 and have two top-five finishes after a fifth-place showing in 2006.
• Former All-Big Ten golfer Brianna Broderick holds U-M's top finish at the Country Club of Landfall, tying for third in 2006 with 222 (72-76-74) tally. In fact, U-M had a pair of top-10 individuals after Ali Stinson tied for eighth at 226 (77-76-73).
• Below is U-M's team breakdown's at the Landfall Tradition
2005: 316-321-315 = 952 (11th of 12)
2006: 300-315-302 = 917 (5th of 12)
2007: 306-318-321 = 945 (12th of 12)
2008: 321-294-301 = 916 (t-3rd of 12)

WOLVERINE BITES

• Michigan will shift its spring opening event to start the 2018 season. The Wolverines will not play in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic as they will now play in Louisville's Moon Golf Invitational, Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 19-20, at the Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Florida.

• After playing in two events last season as an individual, sophomore Hannah Ghelfi will start her first collegiate event at the Landfall Tradition. This summer, Ghelfi won the Massachusetts's Women's Amateur Championship on Myopia Hunt Club defeating Angela Garvin, 2-up.

• Picking up off her breakout sophomore campaign, junior Elodie Van Dievoet leads U-M with a 72.88 per round average through three events, including a season-low 69 (-3) twice -- first round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge and final round of the Ruth's Chris Invitational. She has two top-15 finishes, tying for 15th in stroke play qualifying at the East & West Match Play Challenge and tying for 11th at the Golfweek event.

• Senior Emily White has begun her senior season in style as she is posting an early 73.50 per round average, more than two shots better than any of her previous three seasons. With her mature play, she led U-M in stroke play qualifying at the East & West Match Play Challenge, tying for seventh and strung together three straight rounds of 74 to tie for 26th at the Golfweek Conference Challenge. Since midway through her sophomore season, she has not missed an event starting 21 straight.

• Freshman Ashley Kim has started all three events of the season and has shown she belongs as she posted a 74.25 per round early average. She posted a career-best 66 (-6) -- tying the second-lowest round in program history -- in the second round of the Ruth's Chris Invitational. Kim's bogey-free, six-birdie and 12-par round was just a single shot away from the record of 65 held by Grace Choi and Ashley Bauer. She is expected to make her fourth straight start in Chapel Hill.

• Interesting note about Ashley Kim's career 66 (-6) was that her older sister, and senior, Megan is the only other Wolverine in program history to card a 66 in an event. The elder Kim fired hers in the first round in the 2015 East & West Match Play stroke-play qualifier.

• Just a little more on Ashley Kim's performance at the Ruth's Chris Invitational. With a career-best 218 (+2) performance, she led U-M by tying for 37th in the 96-player field, becoming the first freshman to lead U-M in an event since former All-Big Ten golfer Grace Choi paced U-M at the 2015 Lady Buckeye Invitational – more than three seasons ago.

• Senior Megan Kim and freshman Ashley Kim are the fourth pair of sisters to play for the Maize and Blue. They join the Bauers (Ashley, Meghan and Shana), the Davises (Lindsay and Katelin) and the McCorkels (Tiffany and Tegan).

INSIDE THE MAIZE AND BLUE
• Michigan has made back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances and advanced to the NCAA Finals the last two seasons. U-M had only one prior NCAA Finals appearance, in 2002, finishing 17th. The Wolverines tied for 18th in 2016 and followed with a tie for 16th in 2017.

• In just four seasons under coach Jan Dowling, U-M has posted two top-five finishes at the Big Ten Championships -- 2015 (5th) and 2017 (5th). Prior to Dowling's arrival, U-M had recorded just eight total top-five finishes at the conference tournament. In fact, Dowling's squad just missed a third top-five in 2016 when it finished sixth.

• Elodie Van Dievoet had a remarkable 2017 postseason for the Wolverines. After winning the Big Ten individual title, her dramatic 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Columbus Regional helped send U-M to the NCAA Finals for a second straight season and give her a top-10 individual finish (t-9th). In the finals, she recorded the highest individual finish for a Wolverine, tying for fourth, while pacing U-M to its best finish at the championships, a tie for 16th.

• Van Dievoet became the ninth Wolverine to earn All-Big Ten first team honors and gave U-M back-to-back seasons of first-team selections after former Wolverine and recent graduate Grace Choi (2014-17) earned the accolade in 2016. Throughout U-M's history, 13 total players have garnered All-Big Ten honors, with nine first-team accolades.

NEXT ON THE TEE
• Mon-Tue., Feb. 19-20 -- Moon Golf Invitational (Melbourne, Fla.)
• Mon-Tue., March 5-6 -- Meadow Club Women's Intercollegiate (Fairfax, Calif.)