Michigan
Golfweek Conference Challenge
This Week in Michigan Women's Golf: Golfweek Conference Challenge
9/23/2017 7:28:00 PM | Women's Golf
» Michigan continues its fall season by traveling to Vail, Colorado, for the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky Ranch Golf and Country Club.
» The three-day, 54-hole event features an 18-team field from 18 difference collegiate conferences.
» Senior Emily White is expected to make her 20th consecutive start, while junior Elodie Van Dievoet will make her 17th straight for the Maize and Blue.
» Senior Kathy Lim, who was the East & West individual match play runner-up last week, will make her first start of the season.
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THIS WEEK
• Mon-Wed., Sept. 25-27 -- Golfweek Conference Challenge (Wolcott, Colo.)
• Live Scoring | Red Sky Ranch Golf and Country Club
On the Tee: The Golfweek Conference Challenge
The University of Michigan women's golf team will take little time off following its season opener just six days earlier, traveling to Wolcott, Colorado, Monday through Wednesday (Sept. 25-27) for the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky Ranch Golf and Country Club. The 18-team field features teams from 18 difference conferences that will play 18 holes per day over the three-day event. Red Sky Ranch will be set up for a par 72 and 6,261 yards.
The Golfweek Conference Challenge Field
There will be 18 teams competing in the Golfweek Conference Challenge: Akron (MAC), Arizona (Pac-12), Campbell (Big South), Central Arkansas (Southland), Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt), College of Charleston (Colonial), Denver (Summit), Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley), Louisville (ACC), Mercer (SoCon), Michigan (Big Ten), Old Dominion (C-USA), Pepperdine (WCC), Sacramento State (Big Sky), San Diego State (Mountain West), SMU (American), TCU (Big 12) and UC Riverside (Big West).
The Golfweek Conference Challenge Schedule
Sunday, Sept. 24 -- Practice Round beginning at 12:10 p.m. MDT
Monday, Sept. 25 -- First Round (18) beginning at 10 a.m. MDT (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Tuesday, Sept. 26 -- Second Round (18) beginning at 10 a.m. MDT (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Wednesday, Sept. 25 -- Final Round (18) beginning at 10 a.m. MDT (shotgun)
Mountain Time is two hours behind Eastern Time
The Michigan Lineup
The Wolverines will bring five starters for the Golfweek Conference Challenge, including junior Elodie Van Dievoet, senior Emily White, freshman Ashley Kim, senior Megan Kim and senior Kathy Lim.
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan opened its 2017-18 season by competing in the East & West Match Play Challenge for the fourth straight season. The event is co-hosted by U-M and Wisconsin and rotates between the Wolverines' Radrick Farms and the Badgers' University Ridge. U-M finished fifth in the stroke play qualifying. In the consolation bracket, Michigan fell to Oregon State (3-2) in a dramatic final match that went 21 holes and then to Nebraska (3-2) on the last hole of the final match.
• An individual bracket is part of the East & West Match Play's format. In all four years, U-M has placed an individual in the championship match. In 2015, Kathy Lim won the title with a 4-and-3 victory over Wisconsin's Jessica Reinecke. Lim made a second final match in 2017 and lost 1-up to Oregon State's Mari Nishiura.
2014: Megan Kim, runner-up (lost 1-up)
2015: Kathy Lim, individual champion (won 4-and-3)
2016: Alisa Snyder, runner-up (lost 4-and-3)
2017: Kathy Lim, runner-up (lost 1-up)
• 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 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
• Fri-Sun., Oct. 13-15 -- Ruth's Chris Invitational (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
• Fri-Sun., Oct. 27-29 -- Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, N.C.)
Players Mentioned
