In hopes of solidifying its place as one of the top six teams in District IV, the Michigan men's golf team traveled to Franklin, Ind., last weekend.
Unfortunately, the team's play was as cold as the weather.
The Wolverines closed out the Legends of Indiana tournament with a total of 891 strokes, an eighth-place finish. Northwestern continued its strong play of recent weeks to capture the title. The Wildcats posted a total of 858, 20 less than their closest opponent.
The cold and windy weather Friday seemed to put a damper on the Wolverines' play, as they struggled early. Sophomore Michael Harris led the squad with a first-round score of 73, but his teammates could not match the effort as Brent Idalski, David Jasper and Adam Anderson produced scores of 75, 76 and 76, respectively. Senior Kyle Dobbs began the tournament in an unfamiliar fashion, posting a dismal first-round score of 85.
"We definitely were not satisfied with our performance," Idalski said. "We were not consistent. We were only able to produce one or two low scores, and too many 75s and 76s."
As the weather improved Saturday, so did the play of the Wolverines. Jasper finished with a third-round 70 and Idalski rallied to a 71, but it wasn't enough to carry the Wolverines to the front of the field.
Jasper's late charged earned him a 16th-place finish, while Harris and Idalski each tied for 28th.
The top six teams in each district qualify for the NCAA Central Regional on May 15-18, and the Wolverines felt they could have clinched a spot with a good showing in Indiana.
"This was a crucial tournament for us, and we did not respond as well as I had hoped," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "Coming into this tournament, we were probably about fourth (in the district), and now we are about five. The Kent State tournament is very important now."
The team travels to Ravenna, Ohio, on May 2-4 to compete in the Kent State Invitational. The tournament will feature all the top teams in District IV and will give the Wolverines a chance to move up in the rankings.
"Our main competition will be Miami (Ohio), Indiana, Toledo and Kent State," Carras said. "We will most likely have to knock off three out of those four teams to guarantee a spot" in the NCAA regionals.
With spring finally arriving and the weather warming up, the team will be able to practice outside all week to prepare for the tournament. Chipping, pitching and putting will be at the top of its practice list.
"We haven't been able to practice on grass in a while," Idalski said. "We will be able to practice outside all week before the tournament. I think we can finish in the top three" at Kent State.
Carras believes the key to his team's victory will be balanced play.
"We can't afford to play with a four-man team," he said. "We don't have one guy that's going to shoot a 68 or 69. We have five guys that ... need to play well."
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Tough lies like this one led to an eighth-place finish for Kyle Dobbs and the Wolverines at the Legends of Indiana tournament last weekend.