Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson weren't the only golfers to make late final-round pushes this weekend.

As the third round of the year’s first major professional championship was underway Saturday, the No. 46 Michigan men’s golf team was battling for fourth place at its last regular-season event — about 270 miles northeast of Augusta, Ga. in Wallace, N.C.

The Wolverines were in a dogfight with No. 29 Wake Forest for third place on the back nine in the final round of the River Landing Intercollegiate.

The two-day, 54-hole event at the River Landing Golf Course was Michigan's final event until the Big Ten Championships on May 1. The Wolverines were bested by No. 45 and tournament winner Duke, No. 15 North Carolina State and Wake Forest, which were all playing in their home state.

After the first day of play, Michigan trailed the same three teams. It then struggled early in the final round - sophomore Lion Kim was the only Wolverine who shot under par on the front nine. But on the back nine, all five Michigan players were under par, storming from a potentially disappointing sixth-place finish to a fight for third with the Demon Deacons.

“I was proud of the way they played, especially in the last six holes or so,” Michigan coach Andrew Sapp said. “We got in a rally to make some birdies coming in and turned what was a bad round into a pretty good round.”

Sophomore Alexander Sitompul, who finished tied for third, got off to a great start by shooting a first-round, two-under score of 70. His performance was highlighted by a string of five consecutive birdies on the back nine. Sitompul then made two eagles in the second round and added another in the final round to finish five under in the event.

“I basically just caught fire,” Sitompul said. “I think it turned out pretty good for us, considering how bad many of the guys started. So I’m just happy that we finished the way we did overall after what happened in the beginning (of the third round).”

But Sitompul was not the only Wolverine who helped his team to a respectable finish.

Freshman Matt Thompson also got off to a hot start, birdying four of his final six holes in the first round to post a one-under 71. He finished tied for 13th, and Kim contributed a team-low, four-under 68 in the final round.

Michigan made steady progress throughout all three rounds of the tournament. It posted a solid 289 and a 288 on the first day of the event but saved its best for last, tallying a 285 in the final round on Saturday. Sapp said he was pleased that multiple players were a factor this weekend but still feels there is ample room for improvement heading into the postseason.

“That’s the strength of our team — our depth,” Sapp said. “It’s really beneficial when you got different guys who will step up at times and lead the team for us... (But) we have to get everybody playing like they’re capable of leading the team all at the same time. That’s what we have kind of been missing so far this spring.”

The Wolverines have a little less than three weeks to get ready for the Big Ten Championships in State College. Even though Sapp wants improvement, he hopes his team is prepared to play its best golf in the postseason after second and fourth-place finishes in the last two regular-season tournaments.

“We’re going in the right direction, but I think in the last two tournaments, everybody would say we haven’t played our best and yet we’ve had solid finishes,” Sapp said. “Hopefully, we’re getting ready to peak at the right time in the postseason, and we‘ll have our games sharp and ready to go.”