'M' men's golf team 'still testing the waters'

Michigan men's golf coach Jim Carras fine-tuned his lineup this weekend, saying that his team is "still testing the waters" - but it's no surprise who's in the No. 1 position.

Junior Mike Harris should once again be Michigan's top gun. Last season, Harris, an all-Big Ten selection and honorable mention all-American, set the Michigan record for scoring average, firing an average score of 72.35.

His sharp shooting led him to three tournament victories and one runner-up last season, earning him Carras' nod as this year's captain.

The end of the college season marked the beginning of more big things for Harris. This summer, Harris proved that he is not only one of the best players in the Big Ten, but in all of intercollegiate golf. Harris took medalist honors at this summer's Northeast Amateur and just missed the match-play round of sixty-four in the prestigious United States Amtateur.

Michigan's second and third postitions seem more than adequately filled, with both players recording personal bests last weekend.

Freshman Andy Matthews made a good first impression, shooting an even-par 213 in his first collegiate tournament. Matthews' tournament was highlighted by an opening round of three-under par on the first day. Sophomore Scott Hayes opened with a career-low round of one-under par and finished with a weekend total of 219. Matthews and Hayes, along with Harris, form the nucleus of this year's team.

Rounding out the starting five are a pair of former high school teammates. Freshmen Kyle Kilcherman and Brian Seipke are both former Traverse City Trojans. Kilcherman saw his first collegiate action last week, while Seipke will be making his debut for the Wolverines this weekend.

"Our first three tournaments will tell us a lot about what kind of team we should have," said Carras. "We're going to look at different players to try and find a consistent lineup. Right now I feel like we have three very solid players, but we need five guys to contribute on a regular basis.

"Michael Harris has proven to be one of the best players around, Scott Hayes is solid and Andy Matthews has the talent to be an exceptional golfer. I'm anxious to see some of our other players. We know they can all play on our home course, but we need to see if they can perform on a different course under different circumstances."

Michigan's linksters look to improve upon an eighth place finish at last weekend's Northern Intercollegiate tournament at Minnesota. The young Wolverines will continue to test the waters this weekend when they travel to Iowa City for the Iowa Invitational.

09-23-98