College Corner: Michigan

College Corner: Michigan Men

By Tom Wywrot

    Michigan enters the 2026-27 season with an experienced lineup and plenty of continuity. The Wolverines return six players with tournament experience, including juniors R.J. Arone, Dean Muratore and Nilay Naik, giving head coach Zach Barlow a veteran core to build around.

    Arone has developed into one of the Big Ten's most dependable players. He led Michigan with a 71.00 scoring average last season, recorded eight top-20 finishes and tied for 14th at the Big Ten Championships. He's the kind of player the Wolverines can count on to be in the mix nearly every week.

    Muratore gives Michigan another proven scorer. He earned medalist honors at the Jim DeLapa Collegiate after firing a program-record tying 196 (66-64-66) to finish 14-under par. When he's playing well, he's capable of putting together the kind of tournament that can change a team's fortunes.

    Naik returns after another steady season, while sophomore Jordan Hwang looks to build on an encouraging freshman campaign that included a top-10 finish at the Hoosier Collegiate. Junior Nicolas Simon adds more experience and gives Michigan another reliable option as the lineup continues to take shape.

    Freshmen Mackey Beckett and Spencer Shropshire add depth and should push for playing time right away, creating even more competition for the five lineup spots.

    Michigan won't have much time to settle into the season. The Wolverines open at The Virtues Intercollegiate before returning to the Island Resort Intercollegiate, where they finished third at 42-under par a year ago. The schedule also includes stops at several of the country's premier venues, including Inverness, Muirfield Village, Trump National Doral and Baltusrol, site of the Big Ten Championships.

    Michigan has the experience to take another step this season. The lineup returns proven performers, the depth should create healthy competition and several players have already shown they can contend for individual titles and put the team in position to move up the Big Ten standings and compete for an NCAA postseason berth.

College Corner: Michigan Women

By Tom Wywrot

    The Michigan women’s program enters the new season with a young but experienced core and plenty of reasons for optimism. While the Wolverines will replace the production of graduating seniors Lauren Sung and Mara Janess, they return a group of players who gained valuable experience last season and add an impressive freshman class that should make an immediate impact.

    Sophomores Vanessa Zhang, Jaymie Ng and Reese Ng headline the returning group after all three saw significant action as freshmen. Zhang led Michigan with a 73.09 scoring average in her debut season, while Jaymie and Reese continued to grow throughout the year against some of the nation's toughest competition. Junior Thomasine Bartholdson also returns with valuable tournament experience, and senior Grace Wang (Rochester Adams High) provides leadership to one of the program's youngest rosters.

    The Wolverines also welcome an exciting freshman class in Guia Acutis, Martha Kuwahara and Amanda Revuelta. Acutis arrives after winning a pair of prestigious Italian amateur championships; Revuelta has represented Spain on multiple European championship teams; and Kuwahara built one of the Midwest's top junior résumés. Their success at the junior and international levels should give all three an opportunity to compete for lineup spots right away.

    Michigan once again faces a challenging schedule, opening the fall at the Badger Invitational before competing at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Barbara Nicklaus Cup, Stanford Intercollegiate and Pat Bradley Invitational. 

    The spring schedule features several strong fields before concluding with the Big Ten Championships at Nemacolin Resort, in Pennsylvania.

    While the Wolverines will have a different look this season, the talent throughout the roster is evident. The returning players gained valuable experience a year ago, and the freshman class adds even more depth and competition. As the lineup continues to develop, Michigan has the pieces to climb the Big Ten standings and put itself in position for another NCAA postseason appearance.