Going into its final tournament of the fall, the Michigan men's golf team aimed for a strong finish to the season and senior co-captain Bill Rankin led the way, tying a program record with an eight-under 64 in the second round.

His performance helped Michigan establish a lead at the conclusion of Monday’s play, but the Wolverines let that lead slip away early in the final round and finished third overall.

The Wolverines competed in the Bridgestone Intercollegiate at Greensboro, N.C. with 13 other teams as a part of a two-day, three-round competition. Michigan’s excellent second round gave them a four-stroke lead after Monday’s 36 holes, but Duke and Michigan State passed them in the final round.

“Obviously finishing third is respectable, but it’s still disappointing,” Michigan coach Andrew Sapp said.

Duke finished first with 869 strokes, four lower than Michigan State and five lower than Michigan.

Although the Wolverines didn’t win, there were bright spots in the competition. After an average first round of play, Rankin left little doubt that he can compete among the best in the country, finishing third overall.

“I expect our leaders to play well, and he played tremendous,” Sapp said.

Rankin's second round tied Michigan’s school record. He now shares the distinction with Michael Harris (1997-2000) and Christian Vozza (2003-2006).

Rankin was proud of the accomplishment but was quick to point out that it was just one round. The last round saw the team struggle to deal with cold and windy weather in the morning.

“We just sat back on our heels,” Rankin said of the lackluster finish. “I was pretty frustrated when I hit some bogeys because every single shot matters toward the team total.”

With the fall season complete, Rankin and his teammates must now concentrate on academics and conditioning during the off-season.

Despite falling short in the season’s last event, Sapp isn’t worried.

“You can’t win the NCAA tournament in the fall,” he said.