Sept. 13, 2016
By Leigh Torbin
SAN FRANCISCO –
Notre Dame’s men’s golf team went out to California and return with a top five finish at the USF Olympic Invitational, hosted by the University of San Francisco at the Olympic Club Golf Course in San Francisco (Par-71, 6,934 Yards).
Led by a tied-for-fifth place finish by Matt Rushton (70-70-74-214, +1), the Irish posted a three-round score of 876 (286-292-298) to tie for fifth place, matching UC Davis. BYU claimed the top spot with a 859 (286-282-291).
Player of the Day
Ben Albin shot Notre Dame’s low round of the day with a 73, one stroke ahead of Rushton and Hunter Ostrom’s final rounds of 74.
Notre Dame’s Lineup
T5 — Matthew Rushton (70-70-74-214)
T12 — Blake Barens (70-70-77-217)
T33 — Hunter Ostrom (74-74-74-222)
T37 — Ben Albin (72-78-73-223)
T64 — John Felitto (74-82-78-234)
In The Stats
Notre Dame was the only team in the 14-team field to see three of its golfers finish with at least 10 birdies. Rushton was second-best among the 74 golfers with 12 birdies while Albin and Barens each sank 10. It all added up to 47 total birdies for the Irish, the most in the field by a margin of five over BYU’s 42 birdies.
Coach Kubinski Says…
“We played some excellent stretches today and throughout the tournament but seemed to lose a couple shots coming in the last two rounds, which is something we can address and build on. We did some nice things this week though. I believe we led the field in birdies, which shows the stretches we can play. We’ll just get to work this week at home and keep moving toward our team goals.”
The Course
The Olympic Club is a favorite for collegiate and professional events, having hosted 10 USGA events including the U.S. Open in 1955, 1966, 1987, 1998 and 2012. At the 1966 Open, former Notre Dame student Billy Casper, won the major. This marks the first time the Olympic Club has hosted the USF Olympic Invitational since 1991.
Next Up
The Irish return to action Sept. 23-25 at the Georgia State Maui Jim Intercollegiate at the Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Leigh Torbin, athletics communications associate director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2013 and coordinates all media efforts for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball and men’s golf teams. A native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Torbin graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He has previously worked full-time on the athletic communications staffs at Vanderbilt, Florida, Connecticut and UCF.