Next on the Tee: NCAA Columbus Regional
We are back! The University of Michigan women’s golf team is back in the NCAA postseason for the second straight year. The Wolverines will travel to nearby Columbus, Ohio, Monday through Wednesday (May 8-10), for the NCAA Columbus Regional. The three-day, 54-hole event will be held at the Scarlet Course and feature an 18-team field, and six invited individuals, competing for an opportunity to advance to the NCAA Finals. The regional will be played in a 5-count-4 format with the Scarlet set up for a par of 72 at 6,416 yards.
NCAA Regional Sites
In addition to the Columbus Regional site, there will be 55 teams and 18 individuals competing in three additional regional locations. The three other regional sites are UNM Championship Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hosted by New Mexico; Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia, hosted by Georgia; and The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by Texas Tech.
Advancing to the NCAA Finals
From each regional, the top six teams and top three individuals not on a qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Finals, to be held Friday through Wednesday, May 19-24, at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
The NCAA Columbus Regional Field
The NCAA Columbus Regional will feature an 18-team and six-individual field competing for a top-six finish in order to move on to the NCAA Finals.
Teams
1. Florida
2. Florida State
3. South Carolina
4. Arkansas
5. Colorado
6. Texas A&M
7. Purdue
8. Ohio State
9. Michigan
10. San Jose State
11. Houston
12. Louisville
13. Wisconsin
14. Kentucky
15. Old Dominion
16. Delaware
17. Missouri State
18. Cleveland State
Individuals
1. Loy Hee Ying, East Tennessee State
2. Camila Serrano, Florida International
3. Michaela Fletcher, Memphis
4. Emma Albrecht, Notre Dame
5. Kate Smith, Nebraska
6. Emi Peronnin, Minnesota
The NCAA Alabama Regional Schedule
Saturday, May 6 – Travel Day
Sunday, May 7 — Practice Round (18), 9:36 a.m. (tee time off No. 1)
Monday, May 8 — First Round (18), 7:30 a.m. (tee time off No. 1 with Purdue and Ohio State)
Tuesday, May 9 — Second Round (18), 7:30 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
Wednesday, May 10 — Final Round (18), 7:30 a.m. (tee times off No. 1 and 10)
The NCAA Columbus Regional Lineup
Michigan will have five players travel to the regional, including senior Grace Choi, juniors Megan Kim and Emily White, sophomore Elodie Van Dievoet and freshman Alisa Snyder.
Michigan in the NCAA Postseason
Michigan has been represented in regional competition by the team or an individual 11 times, making team appearances in 2001, ’02, ’05, ’07, ’09, ’11, ’12 and ’16. Laura Olin (2004), Amy Schmucker (2006) and Ashley Bauer (2010) made central regional appearances as individuals. The Maize and Blue has advanced to the NCAA Finals twice in program history, finishing 17th at the 2002 event held at Washington National in Auburn, Washington, and tying for 18th at the 2016 event held at Oregon Country Club in Eugene, Oregon.
Below is a look at how the Wolverines have fared during NCAA postseason action:
• 2001, East Regional – 12th of 21 (308-308-309/925) – program’s first invitation
• 2002, Central Regional – 6th of 21 (313-322-294/929)
• 2002, NCAA Finals – 17th of 24 (301-299-299-300/1199) – program’s first advancement to NCAA Finals
• 2004, Central Regional – Laura Olin, individual, t-17th (75-76-78/229)
• 2005, Central Regional – 15th of 21 (301-320-305/926)
• 2006, Central Regional – Amy Schmucker, individual, t-71st (80-82-78/240)
• 2007, Central Regional – 13th of 21 (311-305-310/926) – hosted at U-M Golf Course
• 2009, Central Regional – 17th of 21 (312-321-327/960)
• 2010, Central Regional – Ashley Bauer, individual, t-76th (78-87-80/245)
• 2011, Central Regional – 18th of 24 (316-307-315/938)
• 2012, Central Regional – 16th of 24 (315-316-306/937)
• 2016, Alabama Regional – 6th of 18 (311-304-300/916)
• 2016, NCAA Finals – t-18th of 24 (296-299-292/887) – program’s second advancement to NCAA Finals
Familiarity with the Scarlet Course
Michigan has competed at the Scarlet Course in two of the last three seasons. Just about a month ago, the Wolverines finished sixth at the Lady Buckeye (April 15-16) with a 911 (299-301-311). Elodie Van Dievoet led U-M, tying for 12th individually at 224 (75-72-77). In fact, four starters were among the top 30 — Van Dievoet (t-12), Megan Kim (t-22, 230, Grace Choi (t-27, 232) and Emily White (t-39, 233). Two seasons ago, U-M was eighth in OSU’s 2015 event with a 918 (303-300-315). Choi led tying for 18th (228), while White tied for 51st and Kim was 61st.
Last Year’s Postseason Run to the Finals
In one of the best seasons in program history, Michigan capped off a record-breaking campaign with its first NCAA Finals appearance in 14 years. The postseason started with a sixth-place showing at the Big Ten Championships, leading to U-M’s first NCAA Regional bid in four years. With another sixth-place finish, the Maize and Blue advanced to the NCAA Finals for just the second time in program history. Heading to Eugene, Oregon, and Eugene Country Club for a shot at the national title, the Wolverines tied for 18th, just missing the first team cut by four shots.
WOLVERINE BITES
• With a U-M 54-hole Big Ten Tournament and personal career best of 210 (-6), Elodie Van Dievoet captured the Big Ten individual title. After leading after the first day with a 69 (-3), her second-round 71 (-1) saw her drop four strokes back of Michigan State’s Sarah Burnham, who blistered the field with her conference record 63 (-9). With Burnham closing with a 75, Van Dievoet continued a steady path with a 70 (-2) to take medalist honors by a single shot. Michigan has had three runner-ups in its history.
• With a Big Ten individual medal, Elodie Van Dievoet earned All-Big Ten first team honors, making it back-to-back years a Wolverines has earned the accolade — Grace Choi, 2016. Van Dievoet has led the Wolverines with a strong spring, finishing as the top Wolverine in five of six events. She is on pace to break the single-season scoring record with her 73.04 per-round mark. The sophomore leads U-M with 10 total sub-par rounds, including five of six sub-70 tallies and a career-best 67 (-5) in the final round of the Meadow Club Women’s Intercollegiate (March 6-7).
• The Wolverines are putting together a 296.19 per-round team average, which is just behind last year’s record (295.56). Elodie Van Dievoet (73.04), Grace Choi (74.48) and Megan Kim (74.96) are in a battle for the individual scoring lead. Overall, there have been 22 individual sub-par individual rounds — led by Van Dievoet’s 10 and Choi’s six.
• Michigan has remained consistent throughout each 54-hole event this season. In the first round, U-M averages 296.40 as a team while in the second stays nearly the same at 296.44 before improving in the final round is at 295.63. Overall, the Wolverines average 296.19 as a team, which is on pace to become just the second season in program history to average less than 300.
• Grace Choi is expected to make her 41st career start at the NCAA Columbus Regional. In 40 starts, she has 14 top-20 individual finishes. She carries a U-M record-pace 74.81 career scoring average and holds U-M records for a single round (65, -7, tie), 36-hole total (139, -5) and 54-hole total (205, -11, tie). Last season, Choi helped the Wolverines to their first regional appearance in four years and advanced to the NCAA Finals for the just the second time in program history.
• Megan Kim continues to be a steady force for the Wolverines playing in 30 consecutive events, with 29 starts. This season she is averaging a near career-best pace of 74.96. She has three top-20 finishes led U-M in the season opening East & West Match Play Challenge.
• With storms making the Trinity Forest Country Club unplayable, the tournament’s final round was cancelled, helping U-M close the fall with its first team title of the season at Baylor’s Trinity Forest Invitational (Nov. 7-8). U-M was led by Elodie Van Dievoet and Emily White, whose rounds of 75 tied them for sixth place. The team title is the first since 2012, 33rd in team history and first under third-year head coach Jan Dowling.
• Emily White, who has played in 29 of a potential 30 career events, posted a season-best tie for third, along with teammate Elodie Van Dievoet, at the Hurricane Invitational (Feb. 27-March 1). White posted a season-best 213 (-3) after a season-low 70 (-2) in the first round. She followed with rounds of 72 (E) and 71 (-1). In her third season, she is averaging 76.33 per round.
• Newcomer Alisa Snyder has started seven of her nine events this season, including starting all six spring events. Averaging 76.33 per round, she fired a career-best 70 (-2) in the final round of the Big Ten Championships to finish 24th with a 227. In fact, in five of her last six events she has been steady, shooting tallies of 225 (Lady Puerto Rico, 226 (Hurricane Invite), 226 (Meadow Club), 225 (Bryan National) and 227 (Big Ten).
• With all the research completed, it appears Wolverine newcomer Alisa Snyder is the first left-handed women’s golfer in program history. The men’s program has had three known lefties — Kevin Dore (2004-07), Brett McIntosh (2013-16) and current senior Reed Hrynewich.
• In addition to being lefties, Alisa Snyder and Reed Hrynewich are each fraternal twins. In fact, both sets of twins are collegiate golfers. Snyder’s twin brother, Jack, is a freshman at New Mexico State, while Hrynewich’s twin sister, Hailey, will be a senior at Ohio.
UP NEXT
Fri-Wed., May 19-24 — at NCAA Finals (Sugar Grove, Ill.)
