April 2, 2017
» With final-round 70s from Grace Choi and Elodie Van Dievoet, Michigan posted a closing 290 for an 885 54-hole total and eighth-place finish at the Bryan National Collegiate.
» Grace Choi posted her first top-10 finish of the season and fifth of her career, tying for ninth with a season-best 213 (-3).
» Due to heavy rains in the first round (Friday, March 31), the 18-team field doubled up play on Saturday (April 1) with 36 holes and closed with 18 holes on Sunday (April 2).
» The 18-team field this weekend featured 11 top-40 programs, with U-M listed No. 37.
Site: Greensboro, N.C.
Course: Bryan Park Golf Course (par 72, 6,167 yards)
Tournament: Bryan National Collegiate
U-M Team Standing: 8th Place of 18 Teams (296-299-290/885)
Top U-M Individual: Grace Choi, tie-9th (72-71-70/213, -3)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., April 15-16 — at Lady Buckeye Invitational (Columbus, Ohio)
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Using final-round 70s (-2) from senior Grace Choi and sophomore Elodie Van Dievoet, the University of Michigan women’s golf team closed with a 290 final round today (Sunday, April 2) to finish eighth with an 885 54-hole total in the stellar field at the Bryan National Collegiate, which featured 11 top-40 ranked programs.
“We finished strong today, which always feels good,” said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. “This course can expose weak areas in your game, and you can pay the price. It’s great for us to play a tournament of this caliber heading into postseason. Each player has some specific areas to work on for the next few weeks, and we are excited for what’s in store the next month or so.”
After Friday’s (March 31) first round was washed out due to area rains, the Wolverines doubled up Saturday’s (April 2) play with 36 holes. With a first-round 72 (E) from Choi, the Maize and Blue opened with a 296 and used a 71 (-1) from Choi to follow with a 299. With Choi among the top 10 individuals, U-M found itself ninth with a 595 total.
With five birdies apiece, Choi and Van Dievoet each tallied closing 70s (-2) to pace the Wolverines to a 290 final round and help U-M move up one position and finish eighth with an 885 54-hole total — the third lowest of the season.
With her season-best 213 (-3), Choi recorded her finish top-10 finish of the season, tying for ninth. Choi’s total also ties the second-lowest 54-hole total by a Wolverine this season and was the fifth sub-par 54-hole performance.
“Grace really had a great tournament,” said Dowling. “A top-10 finish in this field of teams and players is quite strong. She’s been making nice progress with her swing and has hit it really well in practice. But, she hadn’t had a solid string of rounds with good ball striking this spring, until this week. On top of that, the course suits her well, and she embraced it. She’s always a really good putter and with this combo, she really scored nicely.”
Using her final-round 70, Van Dievoet jumped 23 positions to tie for 31st at 224 (76-78-70). Junior Megan Kim also tied for 31st at 224 (74-76-74), while freshman Alisa Snyder tied for 39th at 225 (74-74-77).
The Wolverines have only one regular-season event remaining before the start of postseason. In what could be a preview of an NCAA regional site, U-M heads to Columbus for Ohio State’s Lady Buckeye Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16. The 54-hole event will be played on the famed Scarlet Course. The Buckeyes host one of four regional sites in early May.
Final Team Standings
1. Alabama 291-282-278 = 851 (-13)
2. Georgia 291-287-287 = 865
3. Baylor 289-290-288 = 867
4. North Carolina 286-295-291 = 872
N.C. State 297-289-286 = 872
6. South Carolina 293-289-299 = 881
7. Miami (Fla) 292-295-296 = 883
8. MICHIGAN 296-299-290 = 885
9. Wake Forest 301-290-295 = 886
10. Virginia 302-294-301 = 897
11. Central Florida 303-296-301 = 900
12. Notre Dame 309-298-300 = 907
13. Oregon 312-294-308 = 914
14. Penn State 305-312-301 = 918
15. Georgetown 314-310-301 = 925
16. Colorado State 316-304-309 = 929
17. College of Charleston 321-304-312 = 937
18. UNC Greensboro 327-313-309 = 949
Top Individuals
1. Kristen Gillman, Alabama 71-71-66 = 208 (-8)
2. Bryana Nguyen, North Carolina 71-69-69 = 209
3. Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 70-69-71 = 210
Jillian Hollis, Georgia 70-69-71 = 210
Lauren Stephenson, Alabama 69-68-73 = 210
6. Amy Lee, Baylor 72-73-66 = 211
Leonie Bettel, N.C. State 72-70-69 = 211
8. Bailey Tardy, Georgia 71-70-71 = 212
9. GRACE CHOI, U-M 72-71-70 = 213
Sierra Sims, Wake Forest 72-68-73 = 213
Other Michigan Individuals
T31. Elodie Van Dievoet 76-78-70 = 224
T31. Megan Kim 74-76-74 = 224
T39. Alisa Snyder 74-74-77 = 225
T71. Emily White 80-79-76 = 235
