Harris bends his putter, but never the rules

Looking to bounce back from a rough start to the spring season, the Michigan men's golf team traveled down US 23 to Columbus, Ohio, last weekend to compete in the Kepler Intercollegiate.

Playing on the 7,109-yard Scarlet Course, the Wolverines were sitting in a respectable sixth place after the two rounds on Saturday with a team score of 301 for the first round and 295 for the second 18 holes.

Just three schools posted lower second-round scores than Michigan. But a disastrous and unfortunate third round sent the Wolverines home with a 12th-place finish in the 16-team field.

The main reason for Michigan's struggles in the final round was the disqualification of star Mike Harris. After carding scores of 74 and 71 in rounds one and two, respectively, Harris entered the third with visions of another top 10 showing individually.

On the second hole, however, disaster struck when he left a putt just on the edge of the cup. Harris then tapped the putt in, but only after he had kicked his putter and bent it slightly.

Harris tapped in the putt when he was unaware that the putter was bent. Golf rules do not permit a golfer to take any shot - even a little tap-in putt - with an altered club. After Harris placed the putter in his bag, he called the penalty on himself.

Harris proceeded to fire a score of 76, even as he putted with a two-iron for the remainder of the round - a testament to the talent of Michigan's best golfer. His score, however, had to be thrown out due to the disqualification.

By calling the infraction on himself, Harris not only proved that he is one of the Midwest's top collegiate golfers, but he also exemplified the class that separates golf from other sports.

"To call the penalty on himself was a very honorable thing to do," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "The putter was bent so little that I could hardly see it when I looked closely at it. That kind of honesty is what makes golf such a fantastic sport."

Due to Harris' disqualification, Michigan was forced to count its four other scores for the final round, which included Mike Affeldt's 83. The Wolverines' final round score of 314 was by far the worst of the 16-teams competing in the Kepler Invitational.

Nevertheless, there were bright spots for Carras' squad this weekend. Harris, who has already won three tournaments this year, played well again, posting scores of 74 and 71 in the first two rounds. Keith Hinton continued his strong spring by carding a total score of 222 (75-71-76), good for an 18th-place finish individually.

But the Wolverines failed to get the consistent play from the bottom of their lineup, which has struggled all season.

Kevin Hinton, Keith's younger brother, got off to a spectacular start on Saturday morning. The freshman, who posted an average score of 79 in his three competitive rounds last fall, found himself one-under par with four holes to play in the first round this weekend. But a poor finish left him with a score of 75, and he proceeded to finish with a three-round total of 230 (75-76-79).

Kevin Vernick continued to struggle this spring as he posted a score of 232 (79-77-76). Vernick has symbolized Michigan's fortunes this year - he's had a rough spring after performing solidly this past fall.

Affeldt rounded out Michigan's scoring by carding a 54-hole total of 239 (77-79-83). His 83 could not have come at a worse time because it was posted when the Wolverines were forced to count his score.

"The situation pretty much remains the same for us," Carras said. "We just have to get better play out of our bottom three players."

Michigan will not compete this weekend due to final exams and will turn its attention to the Wolverine Invitational on May 2-3. The 18-team field will host the top teams in the Midwest, including every Big Ten team and some of the top MAC schools.

Carras has already told Harris and Keith Hinton that they will be representing Michigan in the Wolverine Invitational. Carras plans on holding a qualifier around his players' exam schedules to determine who will compete in the final three spots.

The Wolverine Invitational will allow Michigan to prepare for the Big Ten Championships, held in East Lansing from May 8-10. Furthermore, it offers area residents the chance to see some of the best golf in the area. Admission is free for students or Ann Arbor residents who want to watch some of the country's top golfers compete at the University of Michigan golf course in less than two weeks.

04-21-98