» With an even 71 from junior Nick Carlson and 72 (+1) from senior Kyle Mueller, Michigan closed Baylor’s Royal Oaks Intercollegiate with a 291 team tally and 856 even total to finish fifth for the third time in four fall events.
» Carlson led the Wolverines for the first time this season, tying for third with a 207 (67-69-71, -6) tally.
» Mueller closed the fall with his fourth straight top-15 individual finish as he tied for 12th at 211 (69-70-72, -2), which was his fourth consecutive sub-par tournament finish.
» In a unique twist, the event was played as a team with all five Wolverine starters playing together throughout the 54-hole event.
» Michigan completed its fall season with three top-five team finishes in its four events.
Site: Dallas, Texas
Course: Royal Oaks Country Club (Par 71, 7,068 yards)
Tournament: Royal Oaks Intercollegiate
U-M Team Standing: 5th place of 13 teams (278-287-291/856, +4)
Top U-M Individual: Nick Carlson, T-2nd (67-69-71/207, -6)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sat., Feb. 9-10 — Big Ten Match Play Championships (Palm Coast, Fla.)
DALLAS, Texas — Using junior Nick Carlson‘s tie for third and senior Kyle Mueller‘s tie for 12th individual finishes, the University of Michigan men’s golf team closed its fall season with an 856 event total at Baylor’s Royal Oaks Intercollegiate to finish fifth at the Royal Oaks Country Club.
“I was proud of the way the guys worked as a group in this tournament,” said U-M head coach Chris Whitten. “The format was really different having all five golfers compete together and we kept a good attitude and mindset the whole time. For this tournament, I thought the guys putted better than we have this fall, and we just were unable to take advantage of the par-5s. That was definitely the difference from finishing higher.”
Playing a unique format with all five Wolverine starters playing together on the same hole, Carlson’s 67 (-4), Mueller’s 69 (-2) and even par 71s from senior Ian Kim and freshman Charlie Pilon guided the Maize and Blue to a 278 (-6) total and positioned itself near the top of the leaderboard after the first of two rounds on Monday. Following up with a 69 (-2) by Carlson and a 70 (-1) from Mueller in the day’s second 18, the Wolverines back end slipped off the pace as U-M totaled a 287 and ended the day tied for sixth.
With his strong play throughout the event, Carlson, who tied for third with a 207 (-6) total, paced the Wolverines in the final round using an even-par 71, while Mueller and sophomore Brent Ito each carded 72s (+1) to help post a 291 team tally and 856 event total, helping U-M to a fifth-place finish — its third top-five in its four fall events.
Behind Carlson’s season-best tally, Mueller posted his fourth straight top-15 individual finish tying for 12th with his fourth consecutive sub-par event total at 211 (69-70-72, -2). Playing as an individual, freshman Connor Prassasopened with a 72 (+1) before firing a career-best 68 (-3) putting him among the top-20. A rough finish to his final round yielded a 78 as he slipped back to post a tie for 39th to finish with a career-best 218 total — a drop of 13 shots from his previous best.
“I really liked that Patrick (Wilkes-Krier) and I could watch all five guys hit every shot for three straight rounds,” added Whitten. “It gives us such a clear picture of what to address in the offseason. This group can improve so much and I’m excited for the spring season that we will have.”
With their four-event fall tournament slate completed, the Wolverines shift their focus to the mid-season training break as they will not head back to competition until the spring opener in February. Along with members of the conference, U-M will open its spring with the 10th edition of the Big Ten Match Play Championships, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10, at the Hammock Beach Resort’s Ocean Course.
Final Team Standings
1. Baylor 272-274-281 = 827 (-25)
2. Arkansas 283-276-287 = 846
3. Minnesota 281-280-287 = 848
4. Kent State 283-284-282 = 849
5. MICHIGAN 278-287-291 = 856
6. Pepperdine 286-279-292 = 857
7. Iowa 292-279-287 = 858
8. Texas San Antonio 288-277-294 = 859
New Mexico 274-287-298 = 859
10. Liberty 282-278-302 = 862
11. Charlotte 296-288-286 = 870
12. SMU 289-289-295 = 873
13. Houston 292-292-292 = 876
Top Individuals
1. Cooper Dossey, Baylor 66-67-69 = 202 (-11)
2. Andre Garcia, New Mexico 68-70-68 = 206
3. NICK CARLSON, U-M 67-69-71 = 207
Braden Bailey, Baylor 66-70-71 = 207
5. Travis McInroe, Baylor 72-69-67 = 208*
6. Joshua McCarthy, Pepperdine 68-70-71 = 209
Garrett May, Baylor 70-70-69 = 209
Matthew Perrine, Baylor 70-67-72 = 209
9. Thomas Longbella, Minnesota 69-72-69 = 210
Jake Goodman, UTSA 72-67-71 = 210
Colin Kober, Baylor 67-71-72 = 210*
Other Michigan Individuals
T12. Kyle Mueller 69-70-72 = 211 (-2)
T49. Ian Kim 71-74-76 = 221
T56. Charlie Pilon 71-76-76 = 223
T64. Brent Ito 80-74-72 = 226
T39. Connor Prassas 72-68-78 = 218*
* playing as individual
