U-M Wins Big Ten Golf Match Play Title
By Tom Lang
The University of Michigan Men’s golf team got the new spring season off to a hot start by turning a No. 8 seed placement in the Big Ten match Play Championship into a huge win.
In the semifinal and final rounds, the Wolverines defeated No. 3 seed Indiana, before disposing of No. 1 seed Northwestern. Both team scores were 3-2.
In the quarterfinals the day prior, Michigan beat No. 2 seed MSU, making it a total sweepo of the top 3 seeds in the annual event at Hammock Beach Ocean Course. In Palm Coast, Florida, Feb. 3-4.
Hunter Thompson became the third golfer in Wolverine history to go undefeated in the match play event (4-0). The exclusive list includes Patrick Sullivan in 2020, and Kyle Mueller in 2015.
"This was a total team effort," said U-M head coach Zach Barlow in a news release. "Hunter (Thomson) leading the way, going 4-0, was just tremendous. I cannot say enough about the work these guys have put in this offseason. They're starting to reap the rewards of that. Matt (Hoffman) and I couldn't be more proud. A great start to the spring season that we will build on and get ready for a quick turnaround at Laredo!"
After wins over No. 7 seed Penn State (3-2) and No. 2 Michigan State (3.5-1.5), the Wolverines began the semifinals against No. 3 seed Indiana. With a 5-and-3 win from Will Anderson over IU's Mitch Davis and a 4-and-2 victory by Ben Hoagland over IU's Eric Berggren, U-M was able to get two points to start. Indiana then squared the match, 2-2, before Thomson took the 16th hole to hold a 1-up lead over IU's Drew Salyers. Thomson maintained his edge and sent the Wolverines to the championship match for the fourth time in program history.
"Obviously, this is such a great start to our spring season," said Anderson. "We worked our tails off this offseason to be ready. Everybody played great these past two days. As they say, this was a total team effort. Everyone contributed at different times and that was what we needed. Now, we need to build off this and carry this momentum going forward."
When U-M won the same event in 2014, it was the No. 8 seed as well.
"I'm so proud of these boys," Thomson said in the U-M release. "We've put in so much work without any results for the past year or so. We stuck with it and it's good to finally see something go our way. It just shows you if we keep sticking to it then big things are coming. For myself, I feel the same way. I knew after this fall I was close to breaking through and it feels like it is beginning for me."
