Feb. 17, 2013
Site: Tallahassee, Fla.
Course: Southwood Golf Club (par 72, 6,314 yards)
Tournament: Florida State Match Up Invitational
U-M Team Standing: 9th Place of 12 Teams (304-312-302/918)
Top U-M Individual: Linda Luo, tie-18th (76-77-72/225)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., March 8-10 -- at Clover Cup Invitational (Mesa, Ariz.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Capturing her fourth top-20 individual performance of the season with a tie for 18th, sophomore Linda Luo (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch HS) helped the University of Michigan women's golf team post a tournament-best 302 final-round team total today (Sunday, Feb. 17) to close ninth at Florida State's Match Up Invitational at the Southwood Golf Club.
Playing just three days following its spring opening tournament at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 10-12), U-M used an opening-round 75 from freshman Catherine Peters (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence HS), which ties a career best, and 76s from Luo and sophomore Lauren Grogan (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson HS) to post a 304 team total, putting the Wolverines ninth after Friday's first round (Feb. 15).
A pair of 77s in the rainy and windy second round (Saturday, Feb. 16) from Luo and junior Alicia Weber (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) helped U-M maintain its ninth-place position as the Wolverines tallied a 314. Paced with four birdies in her final round, Luo closed with her third par-or-better round of the season, carding an even-par 72, while junior Alyssa Shimel (Pemberville, Ohio/Eastwood HS) had four birdies of her own as she tallied a season-best 73 to give U-M a 302.
Totaling 225 (76-77-72) over the three-day event, Luo led U-M for the third time this season, tying for 18th. Meanwhile, Grogan tied for 42nd at 233 (76-80-77), Shimel tied for 45th at 234 (77-84-73), Weber tied for 49th at 235 (78-77-80), and Peters was 55th at 238 (75-78-85).
In addition to the overall stroke-play scoring, U-M was paired with Notre Dame in the unique Match Up Challenge, in which the best four scores and the worst score of the 10 players were use for a team pairing total. U-M and Notre Dame finished fifth overall with a 1,139 total (377-383-379), while Oklahoma and partner Georgia took first by 19 strokes with a 1,094 total (366-364-364).
The Wolverines will not compete for another three weeks, when they travel to Mesa, Ariz., Friday through Sunday, March 8-10, for Notre Dame's Clover Cup. The 54-hole event will be played at Longbow Golf Club. Last season, U-M finished 10th at the Clover Cup with a 932 total.
Final Team Standings
1. Georgia 290-300-287 = 877 (+13)
2. Oklahoma 298-284-299 = 881
3. Tennessee 291-299-292 = 882
4. Florida State 295-293-305 = 893
5. Furman 295-302-300 = 897
6. Texas A&M 296-299-305 = 900
7. Notre Dame 300-299-307 = 906
8. Texas-San Antonio 299-309-301 = 909
9. MICHIGAN 304-312-302 = 918
10. Kansas 310-306-305 = 921
11. UNC Greensboro 314-310-308 = 932
12. UNC Wilmington 323-307-307 = 937
Top Individuals
1. Rocio Sanchez Lobato, Georgia 66-74-74 = 214 (-2)
Erica Popson, Tennessee 70-73-71 = 214
3. Chirapat Jao-Javanil, Oklahoma 74-71-71 = 216
Jessica Negron, Florida State 72-70-74 = 216
Laura Wearn, Furman 69-71-76 = 216
6. Manuela Carbajo Re, Georgia 72-71-74 = 217
Jade Staggs, Oklahoma 74-70-73 = 217
8. Aubrie Street, Furman 72-73-73 = 218
Chessey Thomas, Tennessee 72-74-72 = 218
Lindsey Weaver, Notre Dame 72-73-73 = 218
Michigan Individuals
T18. Linda Luo 76-77-72 = 225
T42. Lauren Grogan 76-80-77 = 233
T45. Alyssa Shimel 77-84-73 = 234
T49. Alicia Weber 78-77-80 = 235
55. Catherine Peters 75-78-85 = 238
Match Up Standings#
1. Oklahoma/Georgia 366-364-364 = 1094
2. Tennessee/Texas San Antonio 368-377-368 = 1113
3. Florida State/Texas A&M 368-367-381 = 1116
4. Kansas/Furman 374-374-380 = 1128
5. MICHIGAN/Notre Dame 377-383-379 = 1139
6. UNC Greensboro/UNC Wilmington 400-383-385 = 1168
# Best four individual scores plus worst score from team partners
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Cheryl Stacy
On the tournament weekend ... "We were happy with the final round of Linda (Luo), and it was especially nice to see Alyssa (Shimel) close so well. I was able to walk with her during the final round, and I was really proud of the way she hung in there. She hit the ball really well. Overall, the first 10 holes of the tournament we played really, really well. We were paired with Notre Dame, who is ranked 15th in the country. I really felt we were on pace with them the first two days. That really gave us some confidence to know we can compete with some of the best teams out there. I just tried to tell them that we have not shot the scores we are capable of, but that those scores are in there. We have to believe in ourselves and know that we are capable of shooting low numbers.
"We just tried to build on that all weekend. We didn't play as well as I had expected in the poor weather conditions in the second round. It was really cold and windy. However, we were able to play much better in the final round. I was pleased with that. Overall, there were times during the rounds we played really well, and then there were those that we did not. Collectively, we wanted to average around 305 for this event, and we didn't quite reach that. But overall I am happy with the progress I saw."
On switching up the lineup for the Match Up Invitational ... "It lets everyone know the starting spots are up for grabs and that if they go out and play well they can earn a spot. It's pretty competitive now; however, we would like to see if get even more competitive. We are gaining on that. When we go to spring break with the entire team, we will be able to have four rounds of great competition to see who plays in our next event."
N O T E S
• Michigan played 108 holes of competitive golf over the last seven days.
• Lauren Grogan and Linda Luo remain the only Wolverines to have started all six events this season.
• Linda Luo has now finished as the top Wolverine in three of six events.
• Linda Luo posted her fourth top 20 individual finish, tying for 18th. She finished third at the Mary Fossum Invitational (Sept. 15-16), tied for sixth at the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 22-23) and tied for 15th at the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate (Oct. 28-29).
• Catherine Peters tied her career best with a 75 in the first round. It marks the third time in her first season she has tallied the round score as she also posted the score in the first and second rounds of the Edwin Watts/Palmetto Intercollegiate (Oct. 28-29).
• Alyssa Shimel's one-over 73 final-round score is a season best. It was three strokes better than the 76 she posted in the final round of the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 22-23). Using that round she also posted a season-best 54-hole tournament total of 234.
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
