Sung, Bartholdson Position U-M Sixth After Day 1 of Wolverine Invitational

» After an opening 299, Michigan rallied with a 292 second-round total to position itself sixth with a 591 36-hole total at the Wolverine Invitational at the U-M Golf Course. U-M will be paired with Purdue and Illinois for Monday’s final round.

» After an opening 73, senior Lauren Sung used a second-round 68 (-3) to vault herself into the top five as she sits tied for fourth with a 141 (-1) first-day total — five shots back of the individual lead.

» Following her opening 78, sophomore Thomasine Bartholdson caught fire in the second round with a career-low 69 (-2). She posted 14 pars, an eagle (10th) and a birdie (13th). With her 147 total, she is tied for 16th in the 81-golfer field.

» Playing as an individual, freshman Vanessa Zhang is 13th at 146 (72-74) first day total.

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Tournament: Wolverine Invitational (Day 1 of 2)

Course: U-M Golf Course (par 71, 6,227 yards)

U-M Team Standing: 6th Place of 15 (299-292/591) after Day 1

Top U-M Individual: Lauren Sung, t-4th (73-68/141, -1)

Next U-M Round: Monday, Sept. 8 – host Wolverine Invitational (U-M Golf Course), 8:45 a.m. (shotgun start)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With a 36-hole total of 591, the University of Michigan women’s golf team sits in sixth place after Sunday’s (Sept. 7) opening day of the Wolverine Invitational — the program’s first home event in three years — at the U-M Golf Course. The Wolverines will be paired with Purdue (291-294/585) and Illinois (295-292/587) for the final round on Monday (Sept. 8).

Getting off to a slower-than-usual start in the season-opening event, the Maize and Blue battled back in the latter half of the first round to post a 299-team total, placing them in a tie for eighth.

In her collegiate debut and first career start, freshman Reese Ng paced the Wolverines with a 72 (+1). Senior Lauren Sung rebounded after an opening double bogey, playing her remaining 17 holes at even par behind 13 pars, two birdies, and two bogeys.

Heading into the second round, Sung stayed red hot, firing a 68 (-3) behind 13 pars, four birdies and a bogey. Her two-round total of 141 (-1) put her among the top five, tied for fourth and just five shots back of first-day leader Pimkwan Chookaew of Iowa State (136, -6).

Right behind her, sophomore Thomasine Bartholdson delivered a career day. After opening with a 78 that left her tied for 62nd, she bounced back with her first career sub-70 round — a career-low 69 (-2). She rattled off seven straight pars before eagling the 10th to move to two-under. Despite a birdie on 13 being offset by a bogey on 17, she steadied herself with eight pars to close out the round. With a 147 total, Bartholdson vaulted 46 spots on the leaderboard and ended the day tied for 16th.

With rounds of 72 and 76, Reese Ng closed her debut day tied for 21st at 148. Combined with the efforts of Sung and Bartholdson, the Wolverines posted a 292 second-round team total and are sixth overall with a 591 two-round score.

Adding to the highlights, freshman Vanessa Zhang, competing as an individual, recorded rounds of 72 (+1) and 74 to finish the day tied for 13th at 146. In her first career 36 holes, she tallied 23 pars and five birdies.

Team Standings (After Day 1 of 2)

 1. Kent State              292-282 = 574 (+6)
 2. Iowa State              292-284 = 576
 3. Virginia                298-283 = 581
 4. Purdue                  291-294 = 585
 5. Illinois                295-292 = 587
 6. MICHIGAN                299-292 = 591
 7. Notre Dame              297-295 = 592
 8. Indiana                 300-300 = 600
 9. South Florida           304-297 = 601
10. Rutgers                 296-306 = 602
11. Wisconsin               303-302 = 605
12. Chattanooga             303-304 = 607
13. Kennesaw State          299-313 = 612
14. Oakland                 307-313 = 620
15. Florida International   307-314 = 621

Top Individuals

 1. Pimkwan Chookaew, Iowa State   69-67 = 136 (-6)
 2. Aryn Matthews, Kent State      71-67 = 138
 3. Lauren Timpf, Purdue           70-69 = 139
 4. LAUREN SUNG, U-M               73-68 = 141
    Leon Takagi, Kent State        73-68 = 141
 6. Kennedy Swedick, Virginia      73-70 = 143
 7. Jordan Levitt, Notre Dame      70-74 = 144
    Jaclyn LaHa, Virginia          71-73 = 144
 9. Madison Dabagia, Indiana       75-70 = 145
    Ashley Kim, Purdue             75-70 = 145
    Brielle Mapanao, Illinois      74-71 = 145
    Isabella Yan, Iowa State       73-72 = 145

Michigan Individuals

 T4. Lauren Sung             73-68 = 141 (-1)
T16. Thomasine Bartholdson   78-69 = 147
T21. Reese Ng                72-76 = 148
T62. Mimi Guo                76-79 = 155
 81. Grace Wang              82-83 = 165
 13. Vanessa Zhang           72-74 = 146*
T21. Mara Janess             74-74 = 148*
 41. Sydney Sung             75-77 = 152*

* playing as individuals