The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OLYMPIC SPORTS fourth-place Minnesota, including a heartbreaking 9-6 loss in 11 innings. "Everyone is competing better," Bakich said "I like the way our guys are approaching practice and games. They have really embraced the desire to get better. I see a team that is getting better in the last couple of weeks, and a bunch of guys who are also looking to better themselves, whether that be in the weight room or getting extra hitting in." U-M MEN'S GOLF FINISHES LAST AT BIG TENS The Michigan men's golf team was established in 1919. Since then, the program has claimed just 15 Big Ten titles, the last of which occurred in 1952. After a last-place finish at the 2014 Big Ten Championships May 2-4 at the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind., the Wolverines' conference-title drought has now reached 62 years and counting. The Wolverines posted a four- round combined score of 1,226, two strokes behind 11th-place Nebraska. Minnesota took home the Big Ten title with a four-round score of 1,186. Michigan was tied for sixth place after posting a 303 in the first round. But two consecutive subpar rounds of 317, the worst round of any team in the field, and 311 put them in a hole. The Wolverines did bounce back, shooting a 295 in the final round, but by then the damage was done. "The guys were competitive for three rounds, and really it was the second round — and even the first nine holes in the second round — that put us so far behind the pack. We were just never able to make it up," Michigan head coach Chris Whitten said. "The thing I'll take away from this season is the depth that we were able to establish through our whole team. Every single guy improved from the beginning of the year until the end, despite the results in this last event. "They've all come a long way with their games, and I'm already excited to see next year who's going to step up and go to the next level. Every single guy is capable of competing at a high level, and that's what we need going forward, stronger efforts from more people across the board." Sophomore Brett McIntosh was Michigan's top overall performer. He tied for seventh place at the meet, shooting a 299 (71-77-74-77). Sophomore Chris O'Neill, who tied for 24th with a 304 (76-76-81-71) at the Big Ten Championships, went on to place 20th at the NCAA regional May 15-17 in Sugar Grove, Ill. O'Neill shot a 225 (77-71-77) as the Wolver- ines' only participant at the meet. "Now that Chris' season is over, I think it's good to look back and see where he came from year one to year two," Whitten said. "There are so many parts to his game that have dramatically improved. He's just a much more complete and ma- ture player. "He's learning how to manage his game better and this week should help him take confidence from that."