Junior Min Yean Tan had a coming out party for the Michigan women's golf team this past weekend.

Tan — a native of Malaysia — traveled with four teammates to Bloomington, Ind. for the Indiana Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The 16-team, 54-hole event was the last regular-season match for the Wolverines before the Big Ten Championships in two weeks.

The Wolverines finished the tournament in fifth place with a score of 34-over par, 12 strokes behind the winner, Indiana.

Michigan came out of the gates swinging in rounds one and two on Saturday. At the end of the day, the Wolverines found themselves in third place, geared to make a run for first on Sunday.

But even with a score comparable to the other two rounds, the squad struggled to keep pace with the leaders in the final round.

“Some of the holes were kind of short and we had some short iron shots that we didn’t capitalize on,” Michigan coach Cheryl Stacy said. “We weren’t making as many of those close shots that I would’ve liked.”

Stacy felt that the competition simply outplayed the Wolverines.

“A couple of those teams just played really well," Stacy said. "I don’t think we played bad — we just left a lot of shots out there.”

Very few shots were “left out there,” for Tan. Her second round score of one under-par tied for the best score of her career, which had her atop the individual leaderboard after day one. She finished the tournament at two over-par, which was good for the third-best individual score of the weekend.

“She practiced more this past week, and I was glad to hear that because I keep harping on the fact that a lot of it has to do with how hard you work,” Stacy said. “She got off to a good start and just kept the momentum going. She hit her driver really well and was close to the green most of the first day, and just made it seem like everything was easy for her.”

Stacy added that the additional pressure of leading after the first day might have sparked some nerves for Tan going into the final round.

“(Sunday) she was a little bit uptight, and I think it’s just because she hasn’t been in that position for a while," Stacy said. "But she brought it back and made some birdies on the backside and kept it at three over for the day. I was very happy for her, and it’s a good boost of confidence for her going forward.”

Along with Tan, senior captain Ashley Bauer continued her brilliant final season. She improved her score each round, including a one-under par performance on Sunday. Her final score of four-over par placed her sixth for the tournament.

As the team's veteran leader — and most likely the best female golfer in Michigan’s history — Bauer’s consistent excellence will be essential down the line.

“(Ashley’s play) is very important because she leads the team and I know that she really wants to play well in the postseason,” Stacy said. “She is very competitive and wants it so bad. We still think that we have an opportunity to do really well in the Big Ten Championships. We’re just hoping that we peak at the right time.”

Stacy feels the team’s solid play this season has to do with the improved camaraderie (which might have been difficult at first since a third of the team — Ashley, Meagan and Shana Bauer — spent their childhoods fighting over bathroom time).

“They have done a really good job at developing team chemistry, which I’m very proud of,” Stacy said.

And with the postseason looming in the nearby future, Stacy is confident in her team’s ability.

“I feel really good heading into the postseason," Stacy said. "I have a lot of faith in the team and I think that any of these girls at anytime can shoot even par or better. It’s just a matter of everybody gelling at the same time.”