Badger Fall Review: Good performances by young team
November 05, 2010 | Men's Golf
Nov. 5, 2010
• Fall Final News Release and Stats 
Madison, Wis. - The Wisconsin men's golf team wrapped up another successful fall campaign that saw three top-10 finishes and numerous strong performances by a team highlighted by underclassmen.The Badgers will look to build upon this season to try and improve in the future.
“I don’t think we accomplished all of our goals,” Head Coach Jim Schuman said, “but we’re learning things that we can use going forward. We had some decent performances from our young guys. We didn’t play well as a group but we made strides forward. I feel we’re moving in right direction.”
Wisconsin had three golfers make their collegiate debut this season. Freshman Robert Jacobsen shot a 75-74-80--229 at the Cardinal Intercollegiate, and redshirt freshman Eric Schremp shot a 82-81-74--237 at the Renaissance Invitational in the lone tournament appearance for each. But, no collegiate debut was more important for the Badgers than that of freshman Stephane Dubois of Brantford, Ontario, CAN.
“Stephane found himself in position to win tournaments going into last round. He was always sticking around at the end of tournaments,” Schuman said. “I’m always excited about younger players, and it was great to see him make some steady improvements. He played some nice rounds at a tough course in Minnesota; he showed us some nice things down in Florida. Even playing in bad weather he persevered and showed us a lot of character.”
Dubois started the season strong, leading the Badgers with a 224 at the Gopher Invitational. Dubois would go on to finish as UW's top golfer at three of the five fall tournaments. He finished in the top 40 in all of his events, the only Badger to do so. This included 15th place at the Renaissance Invitational, where Dubois set a career low 18-hole score of 69, and led the Badgers to a fifth place finish. Dubois also finished the season as Wisconsin's top scorer with an 18-hole average round of 73.46.
Anthony Aicher, a Wausau, Wis., native, led the Badgers in the other two tournaments. Aicher recorded his best finish of the year at the Cardinal Intercollegiate, shooting a 69-75-73--217 to finish in 15th place. The sophomore also set a new career low 18-hole score at the event. He improved his scoring average by nearly a stroke over last season averaging 75.26 this fall.
“Aicher showed us some good things this season,” Schuman noted. “He had some challenges that he set for himself and he really stepped up to face them. He has some big goals he wants to accomplish, and he showed his capabilities. He was named one of our captains, and he showed his responsibility and I’m very proud of him for that.”
Wisconsin also received key contributions from its top returning scorer in Michael Sorenson. The Hartland, Wis., native placed in the top three positions for the Badgers in four of the five fall tournaments. Sorenson finished second on the team in scoring, recording an average round of 74.86.
Despite a 14th place team finish, the Alister MacKenzie Invitational was a very successful event for the Badgers individually. All five Badgers that competed at the event set career-best 54-hole scores. Aicher led the Badgers with a career low 71-71-70--212, the lowest round recorded by a Badger on the season. Michael Sorenson set a new season best 36-hole mark en route to a 71-70-72--213. Dubois, Christopher Meyer, and Thomas Welk all set career 36-hole bests as well as 54-hole bests. Dubois shot a 69-74-72-215, Meyer recorded a 70-78-76-2224, and Welk carded a 75-72-78-225.
The best result for the Badgers this season came at the Renaissance invitational, where the team finished fifth. Three Badgers notched career low 18-hole scores, including Eric Schremp in his collegiate debut, as well as Dubois and Sorenson who each shot a 69 on the first day. Sorenson shot a 69-78-71--218, while Dubois carded a 75-69-74--218, as the two finished in the top position for the Badgers and tied for 15th place overall.
Aicher, Dubois, Meyer, and Sorenson played all 15 rounds of the fall season for the Badgers. The other rounds were split by Thomas Welk, Eric Schremp, and Robert Jacobsen.
The 54-hole team total of 858 at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational was the 11th best in school history. The first round score of 281 also ranked 11th, while the 36-hole score of 568 was seventh best.
“Going into the spring season, we want to work on our short game and converting on opportunities at a higher percentage,” Schuman explained. “My goal is to have us play better as a group, having all five guys stay in the round longer and be able to count on everyone down the stretch.”
The Badgers have concluded their fall season. The 2011 spring season begins Feb. 11-12 with Big Ten Match Play in West Palm Beach, Fla.
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Jordan Ozer
UW Athletic Communications
