'M' golf battles Big Ten

The Michigan men's golf team travels to East Lansing this weekend for the Northern Intercollegiate, a fall preview of the Big Ten championships.

Competing on the par-72, 7,003-yard Forest Akers West Golf Course, Michigan will battle an 18-team field that includes the entire Big Ten.

"It will be the first meaningful tournament for us from the standpoint of district play," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "This should be a good measuring stick for what we can expect."

Aside from their conference competition, the Wolverines will get a preview of another kind. The 1998 Big Ten championships will be held on the same course next May.

"We're a young, inexperienced team with a lot of uncertainty," sophomore Scott Hayes said. "But we've got a chance this weekend to show that we can compete in the Big Ten."

FILE PHOTO The Michigan men's golf team and the rest of the teams from the conference head to East Lansing this weekend for the Northern Intercollegiate, a virtual preview of the Big Ten championships.

Two weeks ago in Minneapolis, the Wolverines kicked off their season with a ninth-place finish in the competitive 12-team ReliaStar Invitational.

"Based on how we played last time, my expectations are higher than what they were going into the ReliaStar," Carras said. "We showed that we have the ability to get scores of around 294 and be competitive."

Although the Wolverines have one tournament under their belt, they still have some unanswered questions that they hope to solve this weekend.

Finishing 15th overall in Minneapolis, Kevin Vernick solidified his place beside returnee Michael Harris as a team leader, but the rest of the team remains unsettled. Carras emphasized that he plans to use the upcoming tournament to name a permanent five-man varsity team.

"When we get back to Ann Arbor Sunday night, we should know the five guys who will represent us for the remainder of the season," Carras said.

Fresh off their trip to Minnesota, Harris, Vernick, Hayes and Keith Hinton will again represent the Wolverines this weekend. The lone change in the lineup is the addition of Kevin Hinton, Keith's brother, who replaces Kevin Harris.

"Kevin (Hinton) was within a couple shots of going with us to Minnesota and has really played well in practice recently," Carras said. "He has definitely earned this opportunity."

09-25-97