Michigan
Southwestern Invitational
Mueller's Top-10 Highlights U-M's Sixth-Place Finish in California
2/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
» Michigan finished in sixth place in the Southwestern Invitational, shooting rounds of 289-294-296 for an 879 total. It is the best finish for the Wolverines in a tournament played at North Ranch Country Club.
» Kyle Mueller recorded his 14th career top-10 finish, buoyed by a final-round 69. He tied for eighth place, seven behind tournament winner Sahita Theegala of Pepperdine.
» Nick Carlson tied for 24th place, highlighted by an even-par 72 in the tournament's final round. He had five birdies in Tuesday's round.
» After running out of sunlight on Monday, Michigan concluded the second round Tuesday morning following a frost delay.
Site: Westlake Village, Calif.
Course: North Ranch Country Club (par 72, 6,992 yards)
Tournament: Southwestern Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: 6th Place of 14 Teams (289-294-296/879)
Top U-M Individual: Kyle Mueller, tie-8th (73-71-69/213)
Next U-M Round: Sat-Sun., March 4-5 -- host Desert Mountain Intercollegiate (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 8 a.m. MST
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Led by junior Kyle Mueller's 14th career top-10 finish, the University of Michigan men's golf team placed sixth at Pepperdine's Southwestern Invitational, held Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 27-28) at North Ranch Country Club. The Wolverines had an 879 total, highlighted by a 1-over 289 in the opening round.
"I was hoping to see the guys in a really good state of mind this week," U-M head coach Chris Whitten said. "Since it's early in the season, I was expecting some mistakes, but I really wanted to see some composure and some confidence. We got it to a steady start but overall could not take advantage of the par-5s or make enough birdies to really make it a great tournament."
Mueller tied for eighth place (73-71-69/213), lowering his score by two strokes in both the second and third rounds. In the final round, he posted five birdies, including one on his final hole of the tournament, the par-4 ninth. The final round was Mueller's 33rd round below par at U-M.
"Kyle had another very solid tournament, set up mostly by his ball striking," said Whitten. "If Kyle can putt better, he will be in contention to win all the time."
Sophomore Nick Carlson had another strong finish, tying for 24th with a 221 total. The final-round 72 was his lowest in the tournament, as he used five birdies to go with three bogeys and a double. Senior Reed Hrynewich tied for 34th place with rounds of 72-74-77 for a 223 total.
Junior Ian Kim finished in 52nd place, but his play in the first two rounds helped the Wolverines. He shot 71-73 and was in the top 10 after the first 18 holes. He had an 85 in the tournament's final round. Senior Tom Swanson shot 76 in the first round but was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard in round two. He ended the tournament with a 78 that was used in the team score.
Senior Bryce Evon played as an individual and had the round of the tournament for the Maize and Blue, shooting a final-round 68 with five birdies and just one bogey. Evon tied for 63rd place, while freshman Taisei Negishi finished in 83rd place.
Host Pepperdine ran away with the tournament, winning by 16 shots over USC. The Waves also had three individuals in the top 10.
Continuing its spring break trip, Michigan will travel to Arizona to host the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate this Saturday and Sunday (March 4-5). The opening round will begin Saturday at 8 a.m. MST.
"Every guy has some stuff to build on the next few days in Arizona, and I know we will play very well in Desert Mountain," Whitten concluded.
Final Team Standings
1. Pepperdine 275-281-287 = 843 (-21)
2. USC 289-282-288 = 859
3. Lipscomb 292-282-292 = 866
4. Washington State 282-289-297 = 868
5. SMU 288-289-293 = 870
6. MICHIGAN 289-294-296 = 879
7. Augusta 293-292-296 = 881
8. UC Davis 301-288-294 = 883
San Diego State 301-288-294 = 883
10. College of Charleston 295-297-294 = 886
11. Mississippi State 297-295-298 = 890
12. Oregon State 305-295-295 = 895
13. Fresno State 303-304-311 = 918
14. Idaho 318-310-306 = 934
Top Individuals
1. Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine 66-66-74=206 (-10)
2. Alex Higgs, SMU 71-67-69=207
3. Broc Everett, Augusta 69-69-70=208
Clay Feagler, Pepperdine 67-70-71=208
5. Stoney Crouch, Lipscomb 71-69-70=210
Rico Hoey, USC 69-68-73=210
7. Sean Crocker, USC 73-69-70=212
8. KYLE MUELLER, U-M 73-71-69=213
Nick Mandell, Washington State 68-74-71=213
Roy Cootes, Pepperdine 71-72-70=213
Other Michigan Individuals
T24. Nick Carlson 73-76-72=221 T34. Reed Hrynewich 72-74-77=223 52. Ian Kim 71-73-83=227 DQ. Tom Swanson 76-DQ-78=DQT 63. Bryce Evon 78-85-68=231* 82. Taisei Negishi 85-87-88=260*
* playing as individual
Players Mentioned
