What You Need to Know

» Michigan opened the spring season with a 13th-place showing at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. 
» Catherine Peters tied for 18th (223) for her third straight top-20 finish. 
» The Lady Puerto Rico field featured 11 top-40 ranked teams among the 16 total competing.

Site: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Course: Rio Grande Country Club River Course (par 72, 6,203 yards)
Tournament: Lady Puerto Rico Classic
U-M Team Standing: 13th Place of 16 Teams (302-304-310/916)
Top U-M Individual: Catherine Peters, tie-17th (76-71-76/223)
Next U-M Event: Mon-Wed., Feb. 29-March 2 — at Hurricane Invitational (Miami, Fla.)

RIO GRANDE, Puerto, Rico — Paced with Catherine Peters third straight top-20 individual finish, the University of Michigan women’s golf team finished its spring-opening event today (Tuesday, Feb. 16) with a 916 54-hole total and a 13th-place showing at Purdue’s Lady Puerto Rico Classic held at the Rio Grande Country Club River.

“It was awesome to be competing again and putting our games to the test after our hard work this winter,” Michigan head coach Jan Dowling said. “Overall, we hit some really nice shots, and their ball striking was solid. We lost some shots around the greens and with some scoring clubs. However, we are on the right rack and excited for our upcoming opportunities.”

After traveling to Puerto Rico Saturday (Feb. 13) for a practice round, the Wolverines began spring competition posting a 302 first round to enter tied for 11th on Sunday (Feb. 14), highlighted with a one-over 73 from Kathy Lim and a pair of 76s from Peters and Grace Choi.

Peters led U-M to a 304 second round on Monday after she carded her fourth sub-par round of the season with a one-under 71 as the Wolverines stayed in 11th place. In today’s final round, Peters carded her second 76 and was matched by Megan Kim as the U-M closed at 310 and dropped two positions.

“What a classy way to start the spring season with a top 20 finish in this strong field,” Dowling said. “Cat finished strong in the fall and kept that momentum going to start the spring, which is really cool. She hit the ball solid all week, which is a must on this golf course. I am proud of the way she finished her rounds each day. She shows a lot of guts coming out of the winter fearless and ready to compete.”

Individually, Peters used her second-best 54-hole tournament season total of 223 (76-71-76) to lead U-M for the second straight event, tying for 18th. Kim (77-78-76) and Lim (73-77-81) tied for 56th with 231 totals, while Choi tied for 61st at 232 (76-78-78). Meanwhile, Elodie Van Dievoet finished 83rd with a 245 (84-81-80) total.

The Wolverines will have two weeks off before heading to Miami for the Hurricane Invitational, set for Monday through Wednesday, Feb. 29-March 2, at the Biltmore Golf Course. It will be the fourth appearance in the event over the last five seasons. Last year, U-M closed with an 892 team total to tie for 10th.

“We have a productive two weeks planned before we head down to Miami for the Hurricane Invitational and winter break,” Dowling added. “The team will continue to fine tune and learn so we are peaking for the championship season.”

Final Team Standings

 1. Georgia        283-294-290 = 867 (+3)

 2. Arkansas       289-281-300 = 870

 3. Texas Tech     283-300-295 = 878

 4. Iowa State     294-291-299 = 884

 5. Kent State     293-297-296 = 886

    Northwestern   290-298-298 = 886

 7. Augusta        296-299-296 = 891

    TCU            299-293-299 = 891

 9. Louisville     294-297-307 = 898

10. N.C. State     290-302-310 = 902

11. Maryland       302-306-304 = 912

12. Auburn         305-310-299 = 914

13. MICHIGAN       302-304-310 = 916

14. Purdue         302-304-312 = 918

15. Indiana        307-305-309 = 921

16. Clemson        304-313-307 = 924

Top Individuals

 1. Maria Fassi, Arkansas           72-67-69 = 208

 2. Gabby Barker, Texas Tech        66-73-70 = 209

 3. Harang Lee, Georgia             69-75-69 = 213

    Kelly McGovern, TCU             75-69-69 = 213

 5. Bailey Tardy, Georgia           68-72-75 = 215

 6. Wad Phaewchimplee, Kent State   71-72-73 = 216

 7. Laura Restrepo, Louisville      73-73-71 = 217

Michigan Individuals

T18. Catherine Peters     76-71-76 = 223

T56. Megan Kim            77-78-76 = 231

T56. Kathy Lim            73-77-81 = 231

T61. Grace Choi           76-78-78 = 232

 83. Elodie Van Dievoet   84-81-80 = 245