March 12, 2016
By Chris Masters
MESA, Ariz. – Like the avid hikers who climb nearby Camelback Mountain, the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team knows it will take patience and persistence to reach the top of the standings at the fifth annual Clover Cup. Following Saturday’s second round, the 20th-ranked Fighting Irish had made significant progress in that trek.
Notre Dame trimmed nine strokes off its opening-round total and carded the lowest score of the day, rising into fifth place at 13-over par 589 (299-290) in the 17-team tournament, which is being played in Mesa, Arizona, at the Longbow Golf Club (par 72/6,184 yards) and co-sponsored by Visit Mesa.
Senior captain Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy) paced a balanced Fighting Irish lineup on Saturday, moving into a tie for 12th place in the 99-player field at two-over par 146 (74-72). It was the ninth time in 19 rounds this season that Campbell shot par or better.
Senior captain Talia Campbell has shot par or better in nearly half of her rounds (9 of 19) this season, following Saturday’s 72 at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona.
“Today’s round was obviously much better overall,” Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt said. “The team made the necessary on-course adjustments and managed their games much better. We also avoided the big numbers that really hurt us yesterday.”
TCU and SMU were separated by one stroke after Friday’s first round and they remained divided by that same margin after the second circuit. The Frogs currently sit at even-par 576, with the Mustangs a shot in arrears at 577 (+1).
UNCW’s Annette Lyche opened up a one-stroke lead on the individual ladder at 138 (-6), thanks in part to a sharp second-round 67. South Florida’s Nicole Autrique and TCU’s Brooke Graebe, who shared the lead after Friday’s first round, remained tied but now trail Lyche by one shot at 139 (-5).
Freshman Emma Albrecht (Ormond Beach, Fla./Father Lopez) made the biggest individual move by a Notre Dame golfer on Saturday, jumping into a tie for 17th place at four-over par 148 (77-71).
Junior Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) and freshman Isabella DiLisio (Hatfield, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) are among a group tied for 24th place at six-over par 150. Ferreira turned in a steady second round and has posted scores of 77-73, while DiLisio had a rare off-day and saw her score not count to the team total for just the second time all season (she has logged marks of 71-79 thus far).
Freshman Maddie Rose Hamilton (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) elevated to a tie for 34th place on Saturday with a two-round score of seven-over par 151 (77-74).
Notre Dame also has three players competing as individual participants this weekend. Sophomore Alison Snakard (Collegeville, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) is tied for 74th place at 17-over par 161 (80-81), while junior Janie Fineis (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic) shares 87th place at 21-over par 165 (79-86). Sophomore Kari Bellville (Granger, Ind./Penn) rounded out the Fighting Irish contingent in 91st place with a 36-hole score of 23-over par 167 (84-83).
“I feel like we can still shoot a better team score,” Holt said. “It would be ideal if it all comes together tomorrow and we can post a low number. It’s out there for us – we just have to go get it.”
Notre Dame now gets ready for the final round of the fifth annual Clover Cup, which tees off via a shotgun start at 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. MST) Sunday. Live scoring will be available through the BirdieFire web site (BirdieFire.com), with in-progress updates also provided through the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter feed (@NDwomensGolf).
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, visit the women’s golf page of the official Fighting Irish athletics web site (UND.com/ndwomensgolf), sign up to follow the Notre Dame women’s golf Twitter feed (@NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
Clover Cup
March 11-13, 2016
Longbow Golf Club (par 72/6,184 yards)
Mesa, Arizona
TEAM SCORES (36-hole totals): 1. TCU 576 (284-292); 2. SMU 577 (285-292); 3. Oklahoma 581 (290-291); 4. UNCW 584 (291-293); 5. NOTRE DAME 589 (299-290); 6. South Florida 591 (288-303); 7. FIU 593 (296-297); 8. Penn State 606 (301-305); 9. (tie) Tulsa 608 (299-309) and Central Arkansas 608 (308-300); 11. Nebraska 610 (301-309); 12. Ole Miss 611 (305-306); 13. Cincinnati 624 (303-321); 14. UNCG 631 (324-307); 15. Columbia 632 (317-315); 16. IUPUI 641 (319-322); 17. Central Michigan 645 (332-313).
TOP 11 INDIVIDUALS PLUS NOTRE DAME GOLFERS (of 99): 1. Annette Lyche (UNCW) 138 (71-67); 2. (tie) Nicole Autrique (USF) 139 (67-72) and Brooke Graebe (TCU) 139 (67-72); 4. (tie) Meghan MacLaren (FIU) 141 (70-71) and Rylee Pedigo (OU) 141 (71-70); 6. Hannah Wood (OU) 142 (68-74); 7. Annika Clark (TCU) 143 (71-72); 8. (tie) Jenny Haglund (SMU) 145 (73-72), Brigitte Dunne (SMU) 145 (73-72), Katie Page (SMU) 145 (69-76) and Carla Jane (FIU) 145 (71-74); 12. (tie) Talia Campbell (ND) 146 (74-72); 17. (tie) Emma Albrecht (ND) 148 (77-71); 24. (tie) Jordan Ferreira (ND) 150 (77-73) and Isabella DiLisio (ND) 150 (71-79); 34. (tie) Maddie Rose Hamilton (ND) 151 (77-74); 74. (tie) Alison Snakard (ND)* 151 (80-81); 87. (tie) Janie Fineis (ND)* 165 (79-86); 91. Kari Bellville (ND)* 167 (84-83).
* – competing as individual participant
– ND –
Chris Masters, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2001 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s golf and women’s basketball programs. A native of San Francisco, California, Masters is a 1996 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, earned his master’s degree from Kansas State University in 1998, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).