Michigan junior Ashley Bauer had never seen anything like it on a golf course before.

As the Michigan women's golf team competed in the second round of the Indiana Invitational in Columbus, Ind., a hailstorm pelted the course for about 20 minutes.

The putting green was completely white.

The Wolverines played through rain, sleet, snow, strong winds and hail in their final regular-season event before the Big Ten Championships on Apr. 24. They finished fourth out of 14 at the two-day, 54-hole tournament. Michigan finished ahead of all five other Big Ten teams in the field, and No. 31 UNLV won the event.

The night before the first two rounds, Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said she wasn’t sure if the course conditions would be playable. Temperatures remained in the mid-to-high 30s through all three rounds, and severe wind made the conditions even worse. Despite the cold weather that lingered in the final round, Teichert said she was still unsatisfied with the scores her players recorded.

“Any time the temperature is under 45, (the weather) is going to be a factor,” Teichert said. “But we missed the putts that we needed to make. The three-footers, getting up-and-down—we just didn’t capitalize on those types of things.”

The Wolverines struggled in the tough weather during the first round and were tied for 11th after 18 holes. But they battled back to a tie for third after the next 18, improving their first-round score by 29 strokes and posting a tournament-low round of 303.

Bauer finished tied for sixth and led the second-round surge, recording a one-under 71, the lowest individual score all tournament. Freshman Milena Savich also finished tied for sixth and sophomore Min Yean Tan finished tied for 18th.

“I felt really great about how we came back in the second round,” Teichert said. “I thought that was exceptional.”

Michigan finished ahead of Wisconsin, tournament-host Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, which should help build the team’s confidence in the coming weeks.

“Going into the Big Tens, this was really key,” Bauer said. “Most other teams have another tournament before the Big Tens and we don’t, so this was a good time to go out there and get some experience under our belt, especially in these types of conditions.”

Michigan has 17 days to regroup and sharpen its game before the Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette. Teichert said she will assess the progress of her team, decide who will compete and work with each of her golfers in the coming weeks.

“The main thing that we’re going to be focusing in on would be individual work with these players,” Teichert said. “We got to have them realize that every round and every stroke and every shot that is hit is as important as the next. A drive is just as important as a putt.”