With the season's first snowfall, the Michigan men's golf team has come to its midseason break. Unlike many seasons in the past, this fall will be looked back upon with pride for the Michigan golfers.
"We have had a very, very good fall, especially in regards to the strength and sizes of the tournaments we have competed in," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "In fact, this ranks among the top three fall seasons since I have been at Michigan."
Carras' optimism about this season was enhanced by the lineup of Isaac Hinkle, David Jasper, Michael Harris, Brent Idalski and Kyle Dobbs. These five players, who made up the lineup in four of the five tournaments, led the Wolverines to top-seven finishes in every event, including a victory at the Wolverine Invitational on the weekend of Oct. 6.
"We have five solid players that we could go out with day after day and compete with anyone," Carras said.
Carras has tried to convince his team that it can compete with anyone, a concept to which the team has responded.
This was evidenced by last weekend's Nelson Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., where Michigan took seventh out of 17 teams. While the numbers weren't impressive, the Wolverines finished six shots out of second place and bettered national powers such as Duke, Colorado, Kansas and Auburn.
"We proved that we are capable of competing with schools you hear about in the paper," Carras said. "(The Nelson) had the strongest field we faced this fall, with seven nationally ranked teams, and we were competitive."
The high point of the season came at the Wolverine, where Michigan won its first tournament in two years. In winning the tournament, the Wolverines finished 20 shots ahead of runners-up Marshall and Miami (Ohio), a difference almost unheard of in college golf. Hinkle took second individually.
Jasper also garnered individual honors, taking second in the Falcon Invitational in September and fighting for a third-place tie in the Kroger Invitational in Memphis last month. Jasper's strong play in the Falcon helped the Wolverines take third in the tournament, which was the first event of the season.
Despite the individual honors that Michigan golfers have received, it has been a team effort that has pulled the Wolverines through this season. In both the Wolverine and the Kroger, all five golfers finished in the top 25 individually, allowing Michigan to take the Wolverine title and finish fourth in the Kroger.
"The key to success is good balance, which we have had so far this season," Carras said. "You just can't have two players have bad days in the same round and hope to compete."
Carras also wants to instill a killer instinct in the team, which seemed to be lacking in the final two tournaments this fall. Michigan was tied for first with eventual champion Auburn going into the final round of the Kroger before falling to fourth. The Wolverines were also in contention for the Nelson title before faltering on the back nine in the final round, pushing them down to seventh.
"We had a darn good fall, but we need to learn how to close the door on the last day," Carras said. "We didn't do that well at all in the last two tournaments."
Another thing Carras looks to do in the spring is to establish more depth among his substitute golfers.
When Idalski and Dobbs were unable to compete in the Northern Intercollegiate Tournament in Columbus on the weekend of Sept. 29, the Wolverines found that their backups could not compete on the level of the rest of the field. As a result of this, Michigan fell to eighth out of 15 teams, by far its worst performance of the season.
There is hope for spring, as the Wolverines boast a wild card in junior Keith Hinton. Hinton had a great summer, competing in the U.S. Amateur Championships, but he was unable to get going this fall.
"I really expected Keith, after the summer, to be one of our top players," Carras said. "I don't know whether he was burned out (from the summer), but if he can find his game, that will be very good for us."
Other players who could help out in the spring include the improving Kevin Vernick and Mike Emanuel, a highly-touted recruit last year who has been unable to get his game together due to health problems caused by a case of mononucleosis last year.
Michigan starts its spring season in Myrtle Beach, S.C., after spring break. Between now and then, the team will be working to improve strength and conditioning.