Michigan
Palmas del Mar Collegiate
Thomson's 64 Helps Him to Individual Title at Palmas del Mar, U-M Finishes Fourth
2/13/2024 3:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
» With a third straight sub-par team tally, Michigan used a final round 280 (-8) and posted an 848 (-16) 54-hole team total to finish fourth at the spring opener -- the Palmas del Mar Collegiate in Puerto Rico.
» With a clean sheet (eight birdies, 10 pars), and career-best 64 (-8), Hunter Thomson won his first collegiate title with a career-best 201 (68-69-64, -15) total -- the second lowest U-M 54-hole total of all-time.
» With three straight sub-par rounds, Thomson now has 12 of 18 rounds this season in the red. His 201 (-15) is his fifth sub-par 54-hole total in six events and the 13th of his career
» Will Anderson's 212 (-4) total helped him to tie for 16th and give him his 14th career top-20 finish.
Site: Humacao, Puerto Rico
Tournament: Palmas del Mar Collegiate (Day 3 of 3)
Course: Palmas del Mar-Flamboyan Course, Rees Jones (par 72, 7,122 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 4th of 16 Teams (285-283-280/848, -16)
Top U-M Individual: Hunter Thomson, 1st (68-69-64/201, -15)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Tue., Feb. 19-20 -- Border Olympics (Laredo, Texas)
HUMACAO, Puerto Rico -- Paced by Hunter Thomson's first career medalist honor, the University of Michigan men's golf team opened its spring season posting a 16-under 848 team total giving it a fourth-place finish on Tuesday (Feb. 13) at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate on the Flamboyan Course at the Palmas del Mar Resort.
The top-five finish for the Maize and Blue is its fifth in six events this season. After etching three straight sub-par team scores, the Wolverines' total is the fourth sub-par 54-hole tally, and third lowest, of the season. U-M, which averages 282.7 per team round, has 14 of 18 team rounds under par.
With an eight-birdie, 10-par clean sheet final round, and new career-low 64 (-8), Thomson jumped four spots on the final day to win the individual title by two shots with a career-best 201 (-15) 54-hole total. After four career runner-up finishes, Thomson earned his first title and became the fourth Wolverine to post a win this season.
After opening with rounds of 68 (-4) and 69 (-3), Thomson used his final-round 64 (-8) to tie U-M's second lowest single-round total in program history. He is the second Wolverine to do so this season after Ben Hoagland shot a 64 (-8) in the second round of the season-opening Island Resort Intercollegiate (Sept. 3-4).
Compiling three sub-par tallies, Thomson's 201 (-15) also set a new career low, but also marked the second lowest 54-hole total in U-M history -- sitting behind former All-American Kyle Mueller's record 198 at the 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitational. Thomson now has 13 sub-par 54-hole totals in 29 events.
"Hunter has been knocking on the door for an individual win for a very long time," said head coach Zach Barlow. "He's an elite player with elite habits, so it was just a matter of time for him to get in the winner's circle. We are very proud of the work he puts in and the way he carries himself on a daily basis."
Behind Thomson, senior Will Anderson posted the 14th top-20 finish of his career after his 212 (-4, 73-69-70) performance in Puerto Rico. Playing as an individual, redshirt-junior Jack O'Donnell carded a career-best 214 (-2) 54-hole total to tie for 21st.
"Team-wise, Hunter carried us obviously. It's always nice to have an 'eraser score' every round to make up for a few mistakes from other guys," said Barlow. "We have to have more production from the bottom of the lineup moving forward if we want to reach the goals we set for the season. We pride ourselves in having a deep team, but we have to start showing that more consistently. Luckily, we have a quick turnaround and head to Laredo at the end of the week where we will look to get back on track and have a total team effort."
That turnaround trip to Laredo, Texas, will be for Houston's Border Olympics next Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 19-20).
Final Team Standings
 1. Arkansas         281-276-280 = 837 (-27)  2. UNC Greensboro   285-272-287 = 844  3. Kennesaw State   280-281-284 = 845  4. MICHIGAN         285-283-280 = 848 (-16)  5. Rutgers          286-287-277 = 850  6. Elon             291-289-276 = 856    Wofford College  287-288-281 = 856  8. Mercer           287-293-277 = 857    Connecticut      288-292-277 = 857 10. Drexel           286-289-284 = 859 11. Boston College   294-284-284 = 862 12. Temple           288-290-287 = 865 13. High Point       291-283-292 = 866 14. Virginia Tech    290-292-287 = 869 15. Samford          304-296-290 = 890 16. Bucknell         306-299-296 = 901
Top Individuals
 1. HUNTER THOMSON, U-M               68-69-64 = 201 (-15)  2. Tobias Jonsson, Mercer            69-67-67 = 203  3. Tommy Dallahan, UConn             69-69-67 = 205  4. Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State  70-66-70 = 206  5. Xavier Marcoux, Rutgers           68-70-69 = 207    Matthew Larkin, Wofford College   71-70-66 = 207  7. John Driscoll, Arkansas           69-67-72 = 208    John Daly II, Arkansas            71-68-69 = 208    Matt Doyle, Elon                  67-74-67 = 208 10. Symon Balbin, UNCG                68-67-74 = 209
Other Michigan Individuals
T16. Will Anderson   73-69-70 = 212 (-4) T48. Yuqi Liu        73-73-73 = 219 T57. Jude Kim        75-72-73 = 220 T71. Ben Hoagland    71-78-74 = 223 T21. Jack O'Donnell  72-71-71 = 214* (-2) * playing as individuals
Players Mentioned
