July 2, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Ashley Armstrong, who claimed medalist honors at the 2012 BIG EAST Championship as a freshman, will have the opportunity to play alongside former teammate Becca Huffer, a’12 Notre Dame graduate, and incoming freshman Lindsay Weaver when the 2012 Women’s Open gets underway on Thursday, July 5 at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis. This will mark the second time that Blackwolf Run will play host to the four-day championship that will run through Sunday, July 8.
“I’m just thrilled that we’ll have three golfers with Notre Dame ties at this year’s U.S. Open,” Irish head coach Susan Holt says. “It’s a testament to the quality of players we have recruited and to the level of success that we have achieved within our program.”
Armstrong, who also was named the BIG EAST’s Freshman of the Year, originally was an alternate after finishing tied for third at the U.S. Open qualifier on May 29 at Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., before receiving notice that she would be participating in the prestigious event. The Flossmore, Ill., native and Weaver will be among 26 amateurs in the 156-player field.
Weaver, who tied for the top spot at her Open qualifier on May 23 at the Terravita Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be the first to tee off on Thursday at 12:30 pm (CT). The Scottsdale, Ariz. native will tee off from the 10th hole and will be playing with amateur Jisoo Keel of Canada, and Brooke Pancake of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Armstrong will get started on the 10th tee at 2:31 pm (CT) and will be part of a threesome that will include Shannon Aubert, an amateur from Champions Gate, Fla., and Cydney Clanton of Concord, N.C.
Huffer, a four-time BIG EAST all-conference honoree, earned her berth in the Open by winning her qualifier by six strokes at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., on June 3 The Denver, Colo., native and her group will be the last to tee off on the first hole at 2:42 pm (CT) on Thursday. Huffer will be paired with Isabelle Beisiegel of Canada and Mi Jung Hur of Korea.
Melded into a river basin formed by the flows of glacial runoff, Blackwolf Run opened for play in June of 1988 and was named that year’s “Best New Public Course” in the country by Golf Digest. Regarded as one of legendary Hall of Fame architect Pete Dye’s crowning achievements, Blackwolf Run has hosted a number of professional championships — The Andersen Consulting World Golf Championships in 1995, 1996 and 1997 as well as the historic 1998 U.S. Women’s Open. And in 2012 Blackwolf Run will host the U.S. Women’s Open for the second time.