What You Need to Know

» Michigan finished fourth at the East & West Match Play Challenge following a 4-1 loss to Indiana. 
» Kathy Lim won the individual match-play bracket with a 4-and-3 victory over Wisconsin’s Jessica Reinecke. After going 0-5-1 last season in match play, she is 2-0 this season. 
» Megan Kim tied for fourth (142) in the stroke-play qualifier, including a career-best six-under 66 (second lowest round in U-M history) and went a perfect 2-0 in match play. 
» Michigan finished second (584) in the stroke-play qualifier, including a U-M record 284 (-4) single-round team tally.

 

Site: Madison, Wis.
Course: University Ridge Golf Course (par 72, 6,219 yards)
Tournament: East & West Match Play Challenge
U-M Team Standing (SP): 2nd Place of 8 Teams (284-300/584) 
Top U-M Individual (SP): Grace Choi, 2nd (72-67/139, -5)
U-M Team Match: #21 Oregon 4, Michigan 1 (semifinal)
U-M Team Match: Indiana 4, Michigan 1 (3rd/4th Place)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., Oct. 9-11 — Yale Women’s Intercollegiate (New Haven, Conn.)

MADISON, Wis. — University of Michigan women’s golf sophomore Kathy Lim used a 4-and-3 decision to win the individual bracket today (Tuesday, Sept. 22) at the East & West Match Play Challenge, while the Wolverines finished fourth after a 4-1 loss to Indiana in the championship bracket consolation match held at Wisconsin’s University Ridge Golf Course.

“Overall, I am very proud of our team and the effort they put forward,” said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. “They were extremely competitive all week. There were a lot of great experiences to take away from this weekend.

“From a player’s prospective, match play is a different mindset. You have to do it a couple of times to really get comfortable. Our team is getting more and more experience with this format. It also gets us into that one-shot-at-a-time mentality. When that happens, you make a lot of birdies. We made a lot of birdies in the last two days; unfortunately, that didn’t translate to a win, but it’s a huge confidence boost for this team to see the ball roll in the hole.

“From a coaching aspect, preparing your pairings for each match is a great experience because there is a lot of different strategies you can use. Whether it makes a difference or not, you still have to hit a lot of good golf shots out there.”

Playing in the individual bracket, Lim defeated Wisconsin’s Jessica Reinecke, 4-and-3, to claim the individual title. After exchanging holes over the first four, Lim took a 1-up lead heading into the second half of the front side. Winning the final three front-nine holes, Lim took a commanding lead as she made the turn 3-up.

She pushed her edge to 5-up after taking holes 11 and 12. Reinecke won the 13th, but that is where the match stayed as the pairing halved the next two holes, helping Lim win the 15th and close out the match and take the individual title, 4-and-3. Freshman Maria Alzueta Garcia finished sixth in her individual match after dropping a 5-and-4 decision to Indiana’s Theresa-Ann Jedra.

“It was a great week,” said Lim. “Like coach said yesterday, it was awesome to finally get that match-play monkey off my back. That first win yesterday was really great for me and my confidence. Coming into today, I just wanted to keep striking the ball well, and I was able to do that. It paid off with another win. Getting the individual title was just the icing on the cake. This entire week was just a boost for me, and I am really looking forward to getting back out there soon.”

After a heartbreaking 4-1 loss to eventual champion Oregon where the final four matches came down to the final three holes, the Wolverines had a mirror image today against Indiana before falling, 4-1.

After IU’s Pear Siriko earned a 4-and-2 win over sophomore Emily White to give the Hoosiers the matches, three of the final matches came down to the wire for the second straight day. Freshman Elodie Van Dievoet took Erin Harper to 19 holes, before a missed chip on the first playoff hole gave the advantage to IU, and she fell, 1-up.

After holding a 1-up lead making the turn, junior Grace Choi saw her match against Eva Domingo draw even on the 10th. Domingo took the lead on the 13th and never looked back, winning the 16th and 17th holes to claim a 3-and-1 victory. For the second straight day, senior Catherine Peters had her match called early as the Hoosiers earned their third point and sealed the win. Peters was trailing 1-down to Ana Sanjuan heading into the 18th hole, before the match was abandoned, giving IU a fourth point.

Sophomore Megan Kim claimed the Wolverines’ lone win for the second day with a 4-and-3 decision over Camille Chevalier. Finding herself two-down after the first four holes, Kim battle back to square the match at the turn. She took her first lead on the 10th hole and rattled of three straight wins on holes 13, 14 and 15 to seal her victory.

“Simply based off the stroke play portion of this event, we have a lot of positives to take away,” said Dowling. “Both Grace (Choi) and Megan (Kim) had special rounds that they are going to be able to take with them and be able to tap into as they continue to be competitive golfers.

“As a team, to break our school scoring record is a special thing. What I think is great is there is more of that coming. We’re still a young team, and I don’t think we have played our best yet, and we are only two tournaments in. It’s a long road.”

After back-to-back weeks of events, the Wolverines will take a few weeks off before heading back to competition. U-M will resume the fall heading to New Haven, Connecticut, to play in Yale’s Women’s Intercollegiate, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 9-11. The three-day, 54-hole event will be played at the prestigious Course at Yale.

“Both Mary (Mattson) and I have done a lot of observing over the last two tournaments,” said Dowling. “We really haven’t had time to work for an extended period of time with the players. We are looking forward to getting back on campus and getting a few weeks of work before heading out to Yale.”

U-M RESULTS
Semifinals (Sept. 21)
Oregon defeats Michigan, 4-1
Petra Salko (ORE) defeats Emily White (U-M), 6-and-5
Cathleen Santoso (ORE) defeats Catherine Peters (U-M), 3-and-1
Kelsey Ulep (ORE) defeats Elodie Van Dievoet (U-M), 2-and-1
Kathleen Scavo (ORE) defeats Grace Choi (U-M), 2-and-1
Megan Kim (U-M) defeats Caroline Inglis (ORE), 1-up

3rd/4th Place (Sept. 22)
Indiana defeats Michigan, 4-1
Erin Harper (IU) defeats Elodie Van Dievoet (U-M), 1-up (19 holes)
Pear Siriko (IU) defeats Emily White (U-M), 4-and-2
Eva Domingo (IU) defeats Grace Choi (U-M), 3-and-1
Ana Sanjuan (IU) defeats Catherine Peters (U-M), 1-up
Megan Kim (U-M) defeats Camille Chevalier (IU), 4-and-3

Match Play Records
Megan Kim, 2-0
Kathy Lim, 2-0
Maria Alzueta Garcia, 1-1
Grace Choi, 0-2
Catherine Peters, 0-2
Elodie Van Dievoet, 0-2
Emily White, 0-2

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Semifinal (Sept. 21)
#1 Colorado defeats #4 Indiana, 3-2
#3 Oregon defeats #2 Michigan, 4-1
Championship (Sept. 22)
#3 Oregon defeats #1 Colorado, 3-2
3rd/4th Place (Sept. 22)
#4 Indiana defeats #2 Michigan, 4-1

CONSOLATION BRACKET
Semifinal (Sept. 21)
#8 Penn State defeats #5 UC Davis, 3-2
#7 SMU defeats #6 Wisconsin, 3-2
5th/6th Place (Sept. 22)
#7 SMU defeats #8 Penn State, 4-0-1
7th/8th Place (Sept. 22)
#5 UC Davis defeats #6 Wisconsin, 5-0

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Championship Semifinal (Sept. 21)
#4 Jessica Reinecke (WIS) defeats #1 Haley Tygret (SMU), 1-up (21 holes)
#3 Kathy Lim (U-M) defeats #2 Marcella Pranovia (ORE), 3-and-2
Championship (Sept. 22)
#3 Kathy Lim (U-M) defeats #4 Jessica Reinecke (WIS), 4-and-3 
3rd/4th Place (Sept. 22)
#2 Marcella Pranovia (Oregon) defeats #1 Haley Tygret (SMU), 3-and-1

Consolation Semifinal (Sept. 21)
#5 Maria Alzueta Garcia (U-M) defeats #8 Ali Nageotte (WIS), 1-up
#6 Theresa-Ann Jedra (IU) defeats #7 Gillian Vance (COLO), 1-up
5th/6th Place (Sept. 22)
#6 Theresa-Ann Jedra (IU) defeats #5 Maria Alzueta Garcia (U-M), 5-and-4
7th/8th Place (Sept. 22)
#8 Ali Nageotte (WIS) defeats #7 Gillian Vance (COLO), 1-up

• Recaps: Sunday (SP) | Monday (MP)