Nov. 23, 2009

Site: El Paso, Texas
Course: El Paso Country Club (par 71, 6,842 yards)
Tournament: Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Standing: No Team Scoring
Top U-M Individual: Lion Kim, tie-14th (67-73/140); Alexander Sitompul, tie-30th (75-73/148)
Final Round: Tuesday, Nov. 24 -- at Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic - Day 2 (El Paso, Texas)

EL PASO, Texas. -- University of Michigan men's golf junior duo of Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep School) and Alexander Sitompul (Jakarta, Indonesia/Bradenton Prep Academy [Fla.]) completed the first 36 holes of the 35th annual Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic today (Monday, Nov. 23) at the El Paso Country Club. Kim tied for 14th at two-under 140, while Sitompul is tied for 30th at 148.

Opening on the front, Kim got off to a solid start and went two under with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 3 and 4. He gave a shot back on No. 7 but got that back with his third birdie on the front side on the ninth. An opening bogey on the back side put him at one under, but he closed three under on the remaining eight holes after a birdie on the 13th and an eagle on the 15th to help him close with a four-under 67.

In the second 18 of the day, Kim started on the back side and continued to play well as he made the turn to the front even after a birdie on No. 13 was erased by a bogey on the 16th. Kim ran into trouble with bogeys on No. 4 and No. 6, putting him two over where he stayed as he parred his remaining three holes. With his first-day, two-under 140, Kim is tied for 14th.

Starting on the back nine, Sitompul opened with a four-over 75. After an opening par, Sitompul quickly went one under with a birdie on No. 11. However, a bogey on No. 12 and No. 13 put him one over. A third bogey on No. 16 and a triple bogey on No. 17 pushed him to five over par, before a birdie on the 18th put him back to plus-four where he stayed as he parred all nine holes on the front side.

Switching to the front side to open the second round, Sitompul dropped two strokes early, posting back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 1 and 2. He continued his solid play on the front side as he parred the remaining holes to make the turn at two over. He reached as high as three over after a bogey on No. 13 but birdied No. 17 to move back down to two over, where he closed the round. With his 148 total, he is tied for 30th.

The Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic, sponsored by the Sun Bowl Association, is considered the nation's No. 1-ranked collegiate tournament and has featured the game's top players for more than three decades. The 54-hole event invites the top players from around the nation to compete individually for medalist honors. As part of the invitation, each participating school is awarded a $1,000 scholarship for golfers.

The Wolverine duo, which earned the invitation by virtue of earning All-America status last year at the 2009 NCAA Finals in Toledo, Ohio, will conclude its trip in Texas with a final 18 holes on Tuesday (Nov. 24) at the El Paso Country Club.

Top Individuals

 1. Dustin Garza, Wichita State      64-67 = 131 (-11)
 2. Hunter Hamrick, Alabama          66-67 = 133
    Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State  65-68 = 133
 4. Russell Henley, Georgia          68-66 = 134
    Nick Taylor, Washington          69-65 = 134
 6. David Holmes, Tennessee          68-67 = 135
 7. Corey Nagy, Charlotte            64-72 = 136
 8. David Lingmerth, Arkansas        67-70 = 137
    Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State       67-70 = 137
10. Bo Hoag, Ohio State              69-69 = 138
    Richard Lee, Washington          65-73 = 138
    Andrew Putnam, Pepperdine        67-71 = 138

U-M Individuals

T14. Lion Kim                67-73 = 140
T30. Alexander Sitompul      75-73 = 148

N O T E S

• Prior to the start of the Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic, Alexander Sitompul won the 2009 Titleist Long Drive competition. Sitompul became the first player in the history of the event to officially launch a drive more than 360 yards, when his second drive landed 368 yards out.

Titleist Longest Drive Contest Top 15
1. Alexander Sitompul (Michigan), 368; 2. George Bryan IV (South Carolina), 360; 3. Dustin Garza (Wichita State), 353; 4. Corey Nagy (Charlotte), 351; T5. Scott Pinckney (Arizona State) and Andrew Putnam (Pepperdine), 345; 7. Harris English (Georgia), 344; 8. Knut Borsheim (Arizona State), 342; 9. Matthew Giles (USC), 337; 10. John Hahn (Kent State), 333; 11. Russell Henley (Georgia), 332; 12. Nick Taylor (Washington), 331; 13. Matt Hill (North Carolina State), 330; 14. Kevin Tway (Oklahoma State), 327; 15. Richard Lee (Washington), 326.

• Lion Kim began the day paired with TCU's Tom Hoge and USC's Matthew Giles. Kim defeated Giles in the quarterfinal of match play to help secure U-M's win to advance to the Final Four at last year's NCAA Finals at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

• Lion Kim and Alexander Sitompul are the first Wolverine golfers to participate in the Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic since Michael Harris in 1998; Harris finished 19th. It also marks just the third time a Michigan golfer has been in the field. The first appearance by a Wolverine came in 1980, when John Morse finished 19th in the event.

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423