In past seasons, Michigan men’s golf coach Zach Barlow has primarily led teams filled with plenty of experience under their belts. However, that sense of comfort is changing this season.
As the Wolverines entered their season opener, just three players had seen college-level competition. Nevertheless, Michigan showed strong team effort and placed third at the Island Resort Intercollegiate this past weekend, defeating Big Ten foes like Michigan State and Nebraska while shooting the lowest score out of all competition in a final-round shootout.
“It was a great opener,” Barlow said. “Really excited for this team.”
Barlow couldn’t shield his joy for his young team following the finish, and one could see why considering what the Wolverines accomplished over this weekend. For the first time in program history, all five starters for Michigan completed the tournament with a score below par, while combining for a program-record total of 822 (42 under par).
“Coming into the season, (we had) a lot of question marks being so young,” Barlow said. “You know, as a coach, it was fun because you don’t really know what to expect.”
Sophomore Nicolas Simon was the first to strike in the tournament, scoring a first-round 69 (3 under par) to kick start the Wolverines’ weekend. He delivered with four birdies and only one bogey. While fighting to save par on various occasions in the back nine, Simon finally broke loose on the 18th hole and scored his final birdie of the day.
“He had a tough freshman year,” Barlow said. “He came in, and he wasn’t quite ready to play,” Barlow said. “I think he was a little taken aback by that, but he’s mature enough to understand that … and I mean, that kid was ready. He’s fighting for every shot out there … he is the ultimate competitor.”
After a season of taking a backseat to learn and grow in his rookie season. Simon backed his coach’s words with yet another solid performance in the second round, despite opening the day with a bogey on the first. He would fall into the pit of scoring one over par another three times in the round, but he also etched six birdies onto his scorecard to make up for that mistake and finish the day 2-under-par. He later delivered a bogey-free back nine in the final round, earning himself 12th in the individual placing with a final score of 207 (9 under par).
Sophomores Dean Muratore and RJ Arone, the two “veterans” on the team, certainly didn’t leave Simon alone at the party. Although struggling in the first two rounds, especially in the second round with a score of 75, Muratore bounced back in the final round and shot a 65 with a whopping seven birdies paired with an eagle.
Arone was steady throughout the tournament, despite only finishing 4-under-par after two rounds of competition. He struggled during the second round with two bogeys and a double, but managed to fight back and finish the day with a score of 70. Arone really shone in the final round with a bogey-free 65 to conclude the tournament with a total of 205 (11 under par) and earn himself an eighth spot in individual placings. To add to the already fruitful weekend, he only shot four holes over par out of the 54 holes he played.
“We talked with them last night, and I just felt like … it was a little bit sloppy,” Barlow said. “But kudos to them … they were ready to go today, right from the get-go.”
The other second-year Wolverine who also showed a promising performance was sophomore Nilay Naik. He had an impressive second round, scoring 67 with six birdies and one eagle to put Michigan in fourth place. He delivered a perfect back nine in the second round and continued his strong performance into the final round, putting a score of 69 on the scorecard to secure himself a 15th-place finish in individual placing.
One successful tournament often doesn’t paint the whole picture for the season, but the Wolverines’ impressive weekend up in Northern Michigan still showcased the talent this young Michigan team possesses. They still have a long season ahead of them, but you can be one thing’s for sure — these young Wolverines are ready to shine.
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