The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - 19A *Schmucker shines i Women s Amateur By Lindsey Ungar Daily Sports Writer After finishing near the bottom of the NCAA Cen- tral Regional last year, the women's golf team knew it would have to put in extra work this summer. Senior captain Amy Schmucker and junior Brian- na Broderick were just two of the Wolverines to keep up their game in national and regional tournaments. Both Schmucker and Broderick qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur, held Aug. 1-7, at the Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. It was the first time two Wolverines made the tournament. Any female player with a USGA Handicap Index 5.4 or under qualify, but only 156 players make the final championship. The Amateur consists of two rounds of stroke play to compete ii a 64-player field of match play. "It's the biggest tournament you can qualify for," Schmucker said. "They treat you like you're on the pro tour."~ Schmucker played in the Amateur last year, losing in the first round of match play. Her goal this summer. was to not only make the cut, but also win a match. "To be able to play with that kind of competition tells you where you stand as a player," Schmucker said. Schmucker shot a 70 on the first day, finding her- self atop the leaderboard after the morning round. She was even called into the clubhouse for media interviews. "It was kind of like my 15 minutes (of fame)," Schmucker said. According to Michigan coach Kathy Teichert, the attention was well-deserved. "She had pretty much a flawless round," Teichert said. "She made wise decisions. Her tempo was great. It was the best I've ever seen her play." On the second day, Schmucker shot a five-over 77 - good enough for the 19th spot in stroke play and qualifying her for the 64-player match round. Schmucker won her first round match against Tulane University's Kasi Lee, 2-and-1. She then N VOLLEYBALL In his last year, Vozza still looks t By Billy Heisler Daily Sports Writer The greens were supple, the fairways were lush and vibrant and the rough was thick and unforgiving. During countless warm and lazy summer days of his youth Michigan senior' Christian Vozza would pile in a golf cart withi his father and brother, taking on the links of Traverse City. Vozza's dad was his primary1 teacher and supporter, while his brother was his; role model and motivator. By third grade, Vozza was competing in local tournaments around northern Michigan. Despite1 success coming early, he kept trying to improvei in these competitions through high school. Voz-' za's natural and smooth swing along with hisI aggressive play caught the eye of various college scouts. When offered a scholarship to Michigan,{ Vozza accepted because for him, this was an opportunity that he just could not turn down. I "I have always loved the Wolverines," VozzaI said. "I was a good student through high school, so I aspired to attend a university with excellent academics. Since Michigan also had a top-notch golf program, it was easily the best fit for me."I Vozza opened his college career with great1 focus and aggressive play, and right away heI impressed coach Andrew Sapp.I "When he arrived at Michigan, I had neverq really heard of (Vozza)," Sapp said. "But I noticed that he came to school ready to play on the collegiate level." But there were times when his desire to smash the ball got him in trouble. During one qualify- ing round his freshman year at the Michigan Golf Course, Vozza whacked a terrible tee shot into the rough. From there, the pin was about 240 yards, just past a water hazard. Vozza1 decided to take a chance with a shot over the hazard, aiming for the green rather than layingI up right in front of the hazard for a clear third, shot at the pin. After his strike, his ball slicedl and caught the wind, sailed over the clubhouse and landed right in front of his coach.I Vozza realized that he had to improvei his shot selection, and, in doing so, his play matured. He began hitting smarter shots and improved his mental game, which added to hisi :0 imp1Frove success. Some of his best shots followed his worst shots, when he ended up saving himself for a par or even a birdie. "Golf is a mental game," Vozza said. "It's all about you. When you are out on the course, you can be your best friend or your worst enemy. The key to the game is never giving up and real- izing that your next shot can be the best one of your life. Consistently getting down on yourself for every mistake that you commit will ruin the game for you." Sapp said: "Vozza is a free spirit on the golf course. He is one of those players who does not let a bad shot affect him. He has learned to get up and down from what others consider junk. The younger guys on the team take notice of this." Recently Vozza has stepped into the lead- ership role on the team as an ambassador for Michigan golf. Not only is he a fierce competi- tor out on the links, but he also models a posi- tive and constructive attitude. Vozza is known to never take the fun out of the game. "For the past two years, Vozza has lead our stroke average," Sapp said. "But he is more than that. He is an extremely joyful person. He knows that the game is serious but also knows the time and place for having fun and enjoying life. The younger guys have definitely picked up on this great balance." As for his last year as a Wolverine, Vozza plans on making the most of his amateur status and improving his game as much as possible. After Michigan, Vozza hopes to compete in qualifying tournaments for professional tours. Since winning the Michigan Amateur Cham- pionship, along with other recent solid play, Vozza's professional ambitions can very likely become a reality. And Sapp fully supports this. "If Vozza has the desire and the drive to play professionally, then I hope he goes for it. He should continue to reach for his dreams just as he did coming into Michigan." No matter if Vozza goes pro or falls back on his Michigan education, he will continue pursu- ing his passion. "Golf is the greatest game I have ever played," Vozza said. "I will play it for the rest of my life, one shot at a time." FILE PHOTO Senior Amy Schmucker opened the U.S Women's Amateur this summer with a 70 In the first round and then qualified for match play. went up against University of Arkansas's Amanda McCurdy in the second round. McCurdy was the runner-up of last year's U.S Amateur, providing Schmucker with tough competition. McCurdy we the match won 6-and-5. Despite the loss, Schmucker was satisfied with her play. "When I'm playing my best, I can play near that level (of the top players in the country)," Schmucker said. Broderick didn't fare as well, shooting an 83 and 81, and failing to qualify for match play. "Her expectations are very high," Teichert said. "She missed some fairways and didn't hit well at all." Said Broderick: "My game was a rollercoaster this summer. I'll get back to normal this fall." Teichert knows Broderick will bounce back from summer disappointments. Last year, Broderick had Michigan's lowest stroke average, a 75.50 and will be asked to be a leader on the team this season. "I'm not worried about how Bri is going to come back and perform," Teichert said. With the graduation of former Wolverine Laura Olin, the team will not only rely heavily on veterans like Schmucker and Broderick, but also on new players. "There's been a lot of improvement over the sum- mer, including Rose (Gassard)," Teichert said. "She had some great breakthroughs, making the quarter- finals of the Michigan Amateur." Gassard, who redshirted last year, is just one of a handful of players vying for a spot on the team this season. Yesterday, the Wolverines began competing against each other in four rounds of golf to qualify for a spot at the season's first tournament, the Mary Fossum Invitational, at Michigan State Sept. 17-18. The five lowest scorers will make the trip to East Lansing. VENEGONI Continued from page 15A I justify it by saying that I'm Catholic and went to a Catholic, military high school in Minnesota. Furthermore, in my life, I've just never had that much of a problem with the Fighting Irish. I have friends who go there, and, in high school, I even thought strongly about attending the school. I would never have revealed this publicly until I had a revelation Tuesday morning. I woke up, got ready for class and checked my e-mail. Some school stuff, Daily stuff and then a little message on thefacebook from a friend who evidently believes that the Irish are back on top of the world. "ND/Michigan this weekend biatch. Get ready for the Irish invasion." Memories of the Wolverines losing to the Irish back in 1998 came flooding back. My disappointment after we lost to them in 2002 and 2004 popped into my head too. I didn't actually like Notre Dame, I just felt bad for them. I was in the small minority of people that didn't love the Irish and also didn't hate them. They were a fallen program (and probably still are at this point, ask me again after Saturday). I wanted them to be good because it made college football more fun. It's like the Florida schools having players get arrested in the offseason it's just more enjoyable. Thankfully, Florida State and Miami have filled that void for so many years, and the Irish look like they are on their way back. It appears all is well in college football and my alle- giances. For Michigan's sake, let's hope Carr gets some rest before game- time Saturday and then is happy enough with the team's performance to maybe even go out that night. Venegoni would like to thank Lloyd Carr for having a good sense of humor. Also, if Nick Lachey happens to read this and wants to party, just let Venegoni know. Matt loves mail. He can be reached at mvgoni@umich.edu. M L I