'M' golfers place seventh at BTT

By Albert Kim

Daily Sports Writer

Holes-in-one are hard to come by in the golfing world, and two aces by the same player is a remarkable feat. The Michigan women's golf team, at the Big Ten Championships in Madison over the weekend, used sophomore Courtney Reno's second career hole-in-one to climb into a two-way tie with Northwestern for sixth in the final round of play.

Reno aced the 12th hole, and eagled the par-five 11th, en route to leading the Wolverines in the final round with a 73. Overall, the team finished with a 299, tying its season best.

The conference championships didn't have such auspicious beginnings on Friday. After a rain-soaked first day, the women were eighth in the standings. But, the Wolverines were able to battle back to seventh place on Saturday, setting the stage for their stellar final round.

Despite the eighth place start, there were still many bright spots for Michigan.

On the first day, the Wolverines shot their second-best 36-hole team total of the year, and junior Trish Watkins shot consecutive career-best rounds of 73 and 75. Bess Bowers also had a strong first two rounds, finishing wih a 145.

This was followed by an equally impressive third round, in which the golfers posted their fifth-best team total of the season. Bowers continued her strong tournament by shooting a 77, while freshman Kim Benedict led the Wolverines with her second straight 75.

Sophomore Misia Lemanski, junior Amy Talbot, and Reno all finished with 78's to wrap up the third round.

The Wolverines were the only team to have five golfers shoot in the 70's in the third round, and ended in sole possession of seventh place overall.Although the Wolverines have a long way to go to be compared to Purdue, which won the tournament, the sixth-place finish is still a solid showing for such a young team.

No seniors competed in the tournament for Michigan. The team is top-heavy with sophomores, but they are rapidly maturing.

With the NCAA East Regionals around the corner, Michigan's quick improvement throughout the Big Ten Tournament is definately a good sign.

Even if the Wolverines don't make a title run this year, everyone will be returning next season, so the future undoubtedly looks bright for the Michigan women's golf team.