By Rick Harpster
Daily Sports Writer
Hoping to learn more about themselves, the Michigan men's golf team traveled to Minnesota last weekend to compete in the 54-hole Northern Intercollegiate tournament. After playing well during the first two rounds, the young Wolverines struggled over the final 18 holes to finish eighth among the 12-team field.
After the first two rounds of 285 and 284 on Friday, Michigan was tied for fourth with a one-over-par team score of 569. But, the Wolverines had a rough Saturday afternoon and carded a score of 300, dropping them into eighth place with a 54-hole total of 869.
"It's unexplainable to shoot that badly in the final round," Michigan coach Jim Carras said. "It's a reasonably simple golf course, which means you lose a lot of ground when you have a bad day like that."
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| FILE PHOTO The Michigan men's golf team suffered some growing pains in Minnesota this weekend, finishing eighth out of 12 teams at the Northern Intercollegiate. |
The weekend was like a roller coaster ride for many of the Wolverines. Junior Mike Harris, who set the school scoring average record last season, fired the tournament low score of 64 during the second round. But, Harris sandwiched his 64 between rounds of 72 and 74. His 3-under par total of 210 led the Wolverines and was 11th best among the tournament's 66 competitors.
"The delight of the trip" for Carras' team was true freshman Andy Mathews. Playing in his first college tournament, Mathews fired a team-low score of 68 in the opening round, despite bogeying the final two holes. He followed that with scores of 71 and 74, giving him an even-par total of 213 and tying him for 20th place.
"He has everything you look for in a player: the desire to compete, the ability, and great composition for a freshman," Carras said.
Carras was especially pleased with Mathews' performance because he knows how overwhelming it can be for a freshman to compete at this level.
"It's very difficult (for a freshman to play in his first tournament)," Carras said. "This is the first time at the NCAA level where they play for more than just themselves. They're playing for the entire team."
Mathews was one of just two freshman who made the trip to Minnesota last weekend. Kyle Kilcherman did not perform as well by carding a score of 227 (76-75-76), leaving him in 57th position.
One of the 'veterans' for this inexperienced squad who traveled to Minnesota was sophomore Scott Hayes, who saw some varsity action last year.
Hayes showed flashes of brilliance during the first round by shooting a 69, despite playing the 17th and 18th holes in three-over par. He finished the weekend at 219 (69-74-76), good for a 36th-place finish.
The Wolverines' fifth player last weekend was junior Mike Affeldt. Although he is a junior, Affeldt does not have much varsity experience. He posted three rounds of 76 in the Northern Intercollegiate, giving him a 54-hole total of 228 and leaving him in 59th place.
With eight of the 12 Northern Intercollegiate teams coming from the Big Ten, last weekend gave the Wolverines a chance to see how their young team matches up against future competitors. The Big Ten Championships will be held on this same course (Les Bolstad Country Club) in May.
Michigan finished sixth of the eight Big Ten competitors, but entered the final round only two shots out of second place.
This young team proved on Friday that it can compete with some of the best teams in the conference if it can develop more consistency.
The Wolverines resume tournament play this weekend at the Iowa Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa.
09-21-98
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