Oct. 29, 2005
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2005 CordeValle Collegiate
Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2005
8 a.m. (PST) both days
CordeValle Golf Club
Par 72/7,169 yards
San Martin, Calif.
Following a two-week layoff, Notre Dame returns to the links Monday-Tuesday for the inaugural CordeValle Collegiate, hosted by UCLA at the CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, Calif. The tournament is the final event of the 2005 fall schedule for the Irish.
Notre Dame is ranked 22nd in the nation, according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, while also receiving 10 votes in the GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (tied for 43rd if the poll were extended). The Irish own a 292.50 stroke average with four consecutive top-six finishes and three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Notre Dame also has three players ranked among the top 75 according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, led by senior Mark Baldwin, who is at No. 43 and holds a team-best 71.89 stroke average. Senior Scott Gustafson is ranked 48th with a 72.17 stroke average, while junior Cole Isban is 73rd in the nation and cards a 72.67 stroke average. Quoting
Coach Kubinski…
“Our team is gearing up for another West Coast trip and looking forward to a great challenge in front of us. The field at CordeValle is formidable, perhaps the best we’ve faced yet, and that’s saying a lot considering how high our events have been ranked thus far.
“The top portion of our lineup is looking very strong with Mark Baldwin returning to the lineup after a final round 68 at Duke, Scott Gustafson posting All-America type scores, including his collegiate low of 67 in our last round at the Prestige, and Cole Isban just a couple events removed from his first-place tie at Shoal Creek and coming off a 68 at PGA WEST. We certainly have some guys able to shoot very low numbers.
“We’re rounding out our lineup with two very capable sophomores. Mike King fired a 71 out at PGA WEST and looks to be playing solidly in preparation for CordeValle. Our final starting spot will be capably manned by Eddie Peckels, who began the season slowly, but has improved steadily and certainly showed flashes of his talent this summer.
“We have a great mix right now in terms of styles and experience. I feel the addition of Eddie adds another strong putter to the lineup. Our play has been very consistent thus far, possibly more so than any other team. We just need a little spark from our younger guys and we should be in contention come Tuesday afternoon. It’s certainly an exciting time for us and I feel we’ll be up to the strong challenge this week at CordeValle.”
Dates and Times
Teams will play two rounds (36 holes) on Monday, with the opening round teeing off via a shotgun start at 8 a.m. PST (11 a.m. EST in South Bend). The second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of round one. Competitors will then return to the course Tuesday at 8 a.m. PST for the final round, once again using a shotgun start.
Tournament Results
Live scoring will be available for the CordeValle Collegiate, courtesy of Golfstat (www.golfstat.com). Complete results following each day’s action also will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). In addition, the latest information on the Irish is available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574- 631-3000). Callers should select option #9, then press #2 for the latest information on the tournament, as well as weather or scheduling delays.
The Tournament Format
A total of 15 five-man teams (75 participants, with the possibility of some teams fielding additional golfers on an individual basis) will be participating in the CordeValle Collegiate. Conventional collegiate golf team scoring rules will apply, with the lowest four scores in the five-man lineup for each round counting toward the team total.
The Teams
Aside from Notre Dame and tournament hosts UCLA, the remaining teams in field for the CordeValle Collegiate are: Arizona, Arkansas, Augusta State, California, UCF (Central Florida), North Carolina, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Southern California, Stanford, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
According to the latest GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (released Oct. 21), six Top 25 teams will be competing in this week’s tournament — No. 10 Washington, No. 11 UCLA, No. 15 Augusta State, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 18 Texas and No. 23 Southern California. Besides Notre Dame (10 votes, tied for 43rd if the poll were extended), three other squads presently are receiving votes in that poll — Arizona, Pepperdine and Virginia. Combined, these 10 teams make up two-thirds of the field at the CordeValle Collegiate.
Meanwhile, the latest ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index (as of Oct. 24) have been compiled and 10 of the top 50 teams are competing at CordeValle. Up front is No. 5 UCLA, followed by No. 11 Washington, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 17 Pepperdine, No. 22 Notre Dame, No. 25 Augusta State, No. 29 Texas, No. 34 North Carolina, No. 43 Arizona and No. 50 Southern California.
In addition, the latest Golfstat rankings of the 2005-06 season were released Oct. 25 and there are four of this week’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 25. UCLA is sixth, ahead of No. 14 Pepperdine, No. 15 Washington and No. 18 Northwestern. By comparison, Notre Dame is 29th in the current Golfstat rankings.
The Irish should be fairly familiar with most of the teams in the CordeValle Collegiate field, having faced 10 of the other 14 squads at some point during their four tournaments this fall and posting a combined 7-3-1 (.682) record. Notre Dame is 2-0 against Stanford (14-stroke difference at Gopher Invitational; six at Prestige at PGA WEST), and 1-0 vs. California (25 at Prestige), UCF (20 at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate), North Carolina (four at Coca-Cola Duke Classic), Texas (six at Prestige) and Virginia (22 at Duke). The Irish also finished tied for fifth with Pepperdine at The Prestige (both teams shot 880), while falling in their only matchups with Northwestern (10 strokes behind at Duke), UCLA (20 at Prestige) and Washington (10 at Gopher).
The Course
The championship course at the CordeValle Golf Club was designed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and is considered one of his finest layouts. It measures 7,169 yards and will play this week as a par-72 course.
Situated on 270 acres of gently rolling terrain in a pastoral valley located approximately 25 miles southeast of San Jose in San Martin, Calif., the CordeValle Golf Club utilizes the natural elevation changes (150 feet over the 18-hole course) of its peaks and canyons, enhanced by broad meadows, streams, striking sycamore trees and mature California oak trees. It demands numerous strategies and club selections throughout each round, due in part to its strategically-placed bunkers, challenging bays and other topographical twists. The land surrounding the course is part of a private preserve numbering more than 1,000 acres, untouched by residential or commercial development.
Last Tournament — The Prestige at PGA WEST
Notre Dame put on an impressive final-round surge on Oct. 18 at The Prestige at PGA WEST, carding a two-under par 286, the second-lowest team score of the day, to wind up tied for fifth place in the 18-team tournament, which was played in La Quinta, Calif., on the Greg Norman Course (par 72/7,156 yards) at the renowned PGA WEST facility. The Irish ended the 54-hole event at 16-over par 880 (296-298-286), putting them even with Pepperdine. No. 13 UCLA won the tournament with a score of 860 (-4), followed by ninth-ranked BYU (870), UC Irvine (872) and Illinois (875).
Senior Scott Gustafson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) continued his hot start to the 2005 fall season, firing a career-low 67 (-5) in the final round and rising up to a third-place tie at two-under par 214 (75-72-67), one shot shy of a tie for medalist honors, but good enough for his 13th career team-leading finish (tied for third in school history with Bryan Weeks, 1994-98). Gustafson’s 67, which also tied for the low individual round of the tournament, broke his previous career-low round of 68, which he shot on March 1, 2004, in the second round of the Cleveland Golf Invitational in Westlake Village, Calif.
Junior Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) also turned in a sharp final round, firing a four-under par 68 and jumping 21 places to tie for 11th placeat one-over par 217 (76-73-68). Isban’s round was highlighted by a hole-in-one atthe par-3, 216-yard 13th hole, as he used a four-iron to cut his tee shot around a water hazard short and to the right of the green, landing the ball softly and rolling it into the cup. It was the first ace by a Notre Dame golfer since Sept. 30, 2001, when current Irish assistant coach Steve Colnitis pulled off the feat at the Wolverine Invitational in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Perhaps lost in the thrill of the ace was the fact that Isban matched his career low round of 68, which he had previously set on Sept. 19, 2004, in the final round of the Notre Dame Invitational/Central Regional Preview at Notre Dame’s own Warren Golf Course.
Tying for 44th place was Irish sophomore Mike King (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney), who shot a 10-over par 226 (71-78-77). Sophomore Greg Rodgers (Phoenix, Md./St. Paul’s School) was one shot behind King, tied for 50th place at 11-over par 227 (75-75-77), while senior Eric Deutsch (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) ended up in a 59th-place tie at 13-over par 229 (75-80-74).
Thumbnails On The Irish Lineup
Mark Baldwin (71.89; first on team) — Presently ranked 43rd in nation by Golfweek … tied for 10th (219, +3) at season-opening Gopher Invitational … tied for 14th (218, +2) at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate … tied for sixth (210, -6) at Coca-Cola Duke Classic … missed Prestige due to death in family … has ended up 20th or higher in nine of his last 11 events (eight times in 2005 calendar year) … has seen 31 of his last 33 rounds (.939) counted towards the team score … has six career top-10 finishes, with five of those coming in little more than one year … shot school and Warren Golf Course-record 63 (-7) in opening round of TCU dual match on April 9, 2005 … two-time all-BIG EAST choice (2003, 2005).
Scott Gustafson (72.17; second on team) — 48th-ranked player in nation by Golfweek … led team with 218 (+2) at Gopher Invitational … tacked on eighthplace tie at Coca-Cola Duke Classic with 211 (-5) … tied for third at Prestige at PGA WEST (214, -2) for his eight career top-10 finish, 13th team-leading finish (tied-third in school history) and best showing since a third-place finish (210) at the 2003 SMU/Stonebridge Invitational … also played 100th collegiate round in final circuit at Gopher Invitational … second among Irish veterans with 75.18 career stroke average (ninth in school history) … 2003 all-BIG EAST selection.
Cole Isban (72.67 stroke average; third on team) — Ranked No. 73 in nation by Golfweek … posted career bests with first-place tie and 210 (-6) score at 2005 Shoal Creek Intercollegiate … tied for 11th at Prestige at PGA WEST (217, +1) … has started 29 of a possible 30 tournaments in his two-plus seasons at Notre Dame (only miss: 2004 Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational when starters were rested prior to NCAA Central Regional) … has been exceptionally reliable, as 75 of his 82 collegiate rounds (.915) have counted towards the team score (third-best percentage by Irish golfer since 1990) … career 74.39 stroke average is tops in school history (second: 74.43 by Charles Thurn, 1956-58) … 2005 PING/All-Midwest Region selection (first Irish player to earn regional or national accolades since 1980) … two-time all-BIG EAST Conference honoree (2004, 2005) … has qualified for past two U.S. Amateur Championships.
Mike King (78.00; sixth on team) — Tied for 44th place at The Prestige (226, +10), including opening-round 71, his best as member of travel squad … had three top-10 finishes in nine starts as a rookie, including tie for ninth at the BIG EAST Championship.
Eddie Peckels (Making ’05-06 debut; 75.36 last year) — Second-year player who is coming off strong summer, qualifying for U.S. Amateur and reaching semis of North & South Amateur … competed in five tournaments as a freshman, but just once as member of travel squad, tying for 19th place (226, +10) at the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Tulane Invitational, which Notre Dame won.
Next Up For The Irish
This week’s CordeValle Collegiate is the final stop on Notre Dame’s 2005 fall schedule. The Irish will open the spring 2006 portion of their docket on Feb. 27-28, when they take part in the second annual Lexus Naples Intercollegiate Invitational, hosted by Peter Jacobsen Productions. The event will be held at the Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla., and will feature a strong field, highlighted by No. 8 Wake Forest (the defending NCAA East Regional champion). Saint Mary’s (Calif.) returns as the defending tournament champion.