Michigan
Indiana Invitational
Lau Tri-Medalist; U-M Fourth in Regular-Season Finale at Indiana Invitational
4/18/2021 6:35:00 PM | Women's Golf
» Michigan finished the Indiana Invitational with an event-low 291 team total to finish fourth in the regular-season finale with an 877 54-hole total.
» Junior Ashley Lau shot a career-low-tying 68 (-4) to earn a share of medalist honors with a career-low 212 (-4).
» Lau earned her first career individual win and gave U-M its 32nd all-time individual trophy.
» U-M posted its fourth straight top five team finish of 2021, and sixth straight dating back to last season.
Site: Bloomington, Ind.
Course: Pfau Golf Course at IU (Par 72, 6,254 yards)
Tournament: Indiana Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: 4th Place of 16 Teams (292-294-291/877)
Top U-M Individual: Ashley Lau, tie-1st (73-71-68/212, -4)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., April 23-25 -- at Big Ten Championships (Maineville, Ohio)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- With junior Ashley Lau posting her first career medalist honor, the 22nd-ranked University of Michigan women's golf team used a final round 291 Sunday (April 18) to post its fourth straight top-five team finish, as U-M's 877 total helped it to fourth place at the Indiana Invitational played at the Pfau Golf Course at Indiana.
Overall, Michigan has posted six straight top-five team finishes dating back to last season.
Heading to Bloomington, U-M was looking forward to the opportunity to get an early preview of the Big Ten Championships, with all 14 conference programs in the 16-team field.
In Saturday's (April 17) opening 18 holes, the Wolverines combined for their fifth straight team tally of 292 or better with a 292 to position them in a tie for third. Freshman Monet Chun used four birdies in her first 15 holes before bogeys on two of her last three gave her a starting 70 (-2), while Lau carded a 73 (+1).
As the field moved straight into the day's second 18 holes in evening, U-M finished 11-13 total holes before play was suspended due to darkness. Returning to finish the second round on Sunday morning, the Wolverines had some early-morning misses which yielded a 294, slipping U-M to fourth at 586. Despite the slight setback, Lau paced U-M with an eagle three on the par-5 No. 13 to give her a 71 (-1) and move her into position to make a final-round run.
With five birdies, Lau made her move in the final 18, posting a career-low-tying 68 (-4), while sophomore Mikaela Schulz used four birdies of her own, including a stretch of three straight at Nos. 11-13, to post an even-par 72 to help U-M to an event-low 291, but remained fourth with an 877 team total. U-M has posted top-five finishes in all four events this season, and six straight dating back to last season.
"Ashley (Lau) has been knocking on the door for a big breakthrough all spring with some great overall play," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "Her 33 on the back nine today was really impressive -- she got up and down on two of her last four holes to save some momentum, and a clutch birdie on 17. We are proud of her and brings us some great vibes heading into postseason."
Repeating a final-round 68 (-4) in U-M's last tournament (PING/ASU Invitational), Lau used that tally to record her first career medalist honor and earn the 32nd in program history. Lau (73-71-68) combined for a career-low 212 (-4) to share the top spot with Michigan State's Valery Plata (69-73-70) and Kent State's Emily Price (73-67-72). Lau is the first Wolverine to earn a title since teammate Ashley Kim, who tied for 32nd (74-75-76/225), shared medalist honors at the 2020 Hurricane Invitational.
"I stuck with the mentality of one shot at a time," said Lau. "I tried not to get too ahead of myself when I was playing good and it paid off. I hit the ball well and gave me a lot of good birdie opportunities.
"I can't wait to crush Big Tens with my teammates as we haven't even scratched the surface of how good we can play."
Chun snapped her top-15 individual streak, tying for 21st at 222 (70-77-75), while sophomore Hailey Borja tied for 38th at 226 (75-74-77).
With the regular season completed, the Wolverines shift their focus to the postseason for the first time in two years. U-M returns to the second season with the 2021 Big Ten Tournament, Friday through Sunday (April 23-25), at the TPC's Rivers Bend in Maineville, Ohio.
Final Team Standings
1. Kent State 290-279-287 = 856 (-8) 2. Maryland 291-287-288 = 866 3. Michigan State 292-293-285 = 870 4. MICHIGAN 292-294-291 = 877 5. Northwestern 296-300-287 = 883 6. Illinois 292-301-294 = 887 Nebraska 294-298-295 = 887 8. Purdue 307-295-290 = 892 9. Minnesota 304-299-299 = 902 Penn State 302-304-296 = 902 11. Wisconsin 302-310-292 = 904 Ohio State 304-303-297 = 904 13. Xavier 299-310-299 = 908 14. Iowa 307-304-306 = 917 15. Indiana 313-313-302 = 928 16. Rutgers 315-306-314 = 935
Top Individuals
1. ASHLEY LAU, U-M 73-71-68 = 212 (-4) Emily Price, Kent State 73-67-72 = 212 Valery Plata, Michigan State 69-73-70 = 212 4. Irene Kim, Northwestern 73-73-69 = 215 Tristyn Nowlin, Illinois 73-71-71 = 215 6. Chloe Salort, Kent State 72-74-70 = 216 Sifat Sagoo, Purdue 75-70-71 = 216 8. Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue 74-73-70 = 217 Kory Nielsen, Kent State 73-69-75 = 217 Kate Smith, Nebraska 72-72-73 = 217 Paz Marfa, Michigan State 73-73-71 = 217
Other Michigan Individuals
T21. Monet Chun 70-77-75 = 222 T32. Ashley Kim 74-75-76 = 225 T38. Hailey Borja 75-74-77 = 226 T48. Mikaela Schulz 80-77-72 = 229 T53. Anika Dy 78-74-79 = 231
Players Mentioned
