The sun was shining, and there was a light breeze at Stone Creek Golf Course in Champaign on Saturday.
- Roshan Reddy
- Senior Kelly Easton posted a team-best score for the first time in her career. (JASON COOPER/DAILY)
It was the perfect day for a round of golf.
And senior Kelly Easton took full advantage of the nearly perfect weather, tying her career-best with a 2-over-par in the final round.
Easton’s final score (153) was good enough to tie her for 10th place.
Easton led the Wolverines for the first time in her career. The team finished in second place (615) at the Illini Spring Classic on Friday and Saturday. Oregon won the match with a final score of 610.
“(Saturday) was not very windy – it was actually quite perfect,” Easton said. “So I just got off to a decent start and made some shots and ended up shooting pretty well.”
But the weather wasn’t as conducive to low scores on Friday. The Wolverines got off to a rocky start due to harsh winds and difficult weather. The team finished the day in fourth place.
“The first day, the conditions weren’t perfect and the wind was blowing the most it’s ever blown when I have played in college,” Easton said. “You never know how the weather might be, (so it was good to have that experience).”
After the disappointing start, the team worked Friday night to improve for the next day’s round.
“(Friday night), we made a pact that we would each beat our girl (that we were playing with) by three,” Easton said. “Not everybody did that, but that’s what I really focused on. . I got my girl at least by three.”
Senior Amy Schmucker and sophomore Lindsay Davis tied for 13th place, scoring 154 in 36 holes. Junior Ali Stinson was the final Wolverine to place in the top 20, tying for 19th with a score of 156. All six Michigan golfers shot in the 70s both days.
The finish capped off the team’s regular season on a high note. Michigan will head to Bloomington on April 28-30 for the Big Ten Championships.
“What we really want to do is stay sharp and still compete at the highest level we can,” Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said. “Our goal is going to obviously be to win the Big Ten Championship. There is no question about that, and that’s why we’re going down (to Bloomington). That’s what we compete for.”