It was the perfect shot to start the perfect day.

On the fourth hole at the River Wilderness Country Club, junior Amy Schmucker lofted the ball over the water, earning an eagle on the par 5 on her first hole of the day in the shotgun arranged tournament. Schmucker went on to shoot a two under par — a career best — on her way to winning the individual competition.

“I started out (the day) with an eagle,” Schmucker said. “That was nice to have that cushion. Things just sort of progressed from there. I told myself I wanted to finish the tournament at even par and that was what I was focusing on more than anything else. “When I got that added win on top of that, I am just walking on cloud nine right now.”

The No. 23 Michigan women’s golf team came in fifth in a 15-team field to open its spring 2005 season in Parrish, Fla. at the Central District Classic. The Wolverines finished 20 strokes behind first-place Arkansas. Michigan coach Kathy Teichert was pleased with how the team opened its season, especially against a field of many nationally-ranked teams.

“It was really important to get off to a good start,” Teichert said. “I thought it was really important for us to get off to a good start so that it would give us a lot of momentum and confidence going into the spring season.”

The Wolverines weren’t loose from the start and spent the first day getting back into the swing of things. The team scored a 307 its first time out, with none of the golfers shooting below par. It didn’t take long for the team to re-adjust and, on the final round of the tournament, the Wolverines shot a combined 289 — 18 strokes less than their opening round.

Schmucker ran into some rough spots her first day out — double bogeying her second hole of the tournament. Despite setbacks, she stuck with it and was able to remain focused and showing a new-found sense of maturity, something that she has been lacking in previous seasons.

"Amy has worked so hard on her mental game,” Teichert said. “It is great to see the way she handled herself. The maturity, the focus, the 'okay, I missed a shot,' but still is able to make an up-and-down. I am really proud of Amy and all the effort she has given to make this happen for herself."

Freshman Isabelle Gendreau and senior Laura Olin tied for 26th with a final score of 277, while sophomores Brianna Broderick and Ali Stinson came in 41st and 46^th, respectively. Gendreau shot a career best 1-under par in the final round of the tournament.

Broderick’s course play progressed as the tournament went on, decreasing her per-round score five strokes by the final round.

“We played awesome today,” Teichert said. “Making the transition from mats, indoor practice at Oosterbaan to actual green grass, sand and real greens was just tremendous. We have worked extremely hard over the course of the winter season. It goes to show you if you put your mind to it, you set goals and you work hard, those goals can pay off. We just put ourselves in such a good position. This was a great start for what is going to be forthcoming.”