Hayes wins at Inverness

By Naweed Sikora

For the Daily

The season opener for the Michigan men's golf team at the Inverness Invitational in Toledo ended emphatically yesterday, as senior Scott Hayes rose above the competition and finished first in a competitive 65-man field.

Hayes - who was tied for third after Monday - shot a one-under par 70 to finish with a total of 213. He won the tournament in a scorecard playoff with Fresno State's Nick Watney, who also finished with a 213.

In a scorecard playoff, the last nine holes for the two players are matched up together. Hayes' score on the back nine, 34, was two shots better than Watney's, making him the winner.

Hayes was extremely ecstatic about his first individual title at Michigan.

"This means a ton to me," Hayes said. "This is the first individual tournament title in my career, and to win at one of the best venues in the world for a collegiate tournament is very, very special."

Hayes extended Michigan's streak of at least one individual medalist honor to five straight years.

The Wolverines couldn't fully capitalize on Hayes's performance. They finished tied for ninth in a field of 13. Michigan turned in a score of 909, 31 shots behind the winner, South Carolina.

Considering the strength of the field and the difficulty of the course, Michigan coach Jim Carras was pleased with the results of the tournament.

"In my 21 years with this team, this is the second most difficult course I've been on," Carras said. "The greens were small and extremely fast."

Making things more difficult for Michigan, four of the 13 teams were ranked in the top 25 nationally.

"Our goal was to finish in the upper half of the field," Carras said. "And we were only three shots out of sixth place."

The Wolverines will play their second tournament, the Wolverine North Invitational, this weekend at the Michigan Golf Course.

Carras said a few lineup changes will be made. Michigan's goal is to finish in the top three.