Oct. 24, 2014
-THE EVENT
2014 Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Oct. 25-26, Grandover Resort – East Course, Greensboro, North Carolina.
-THE LAYOUT
Grandover Resort was designed by renowned architects David Graham and Gary Panks, and functions as the home course for the UNCG men’s golf team. The par 72, 7,245-yard layout previously served as the host of the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship in 2011 and an NCAA Division I men’s regional in 2012.
-ON THE TEE
The 54-hole stroke play tournament begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (ET) on Saturday at the Grandover Resort East Course. Players will remain on the course to continuously complete the second round of the tournament on Saturday afternoon. The final round will begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. at the Grandover Resort on Sunday with a second shotgun start.
-13-TEAM FIELD FOR THE FINAL IRISH EVENT OF THE FALL
A total of 13 teams will compete at the 2014 Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, with three teams having ties to the Atlantic Coast Conference in Notre Dame, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Joining the ACC representatives in the tournament are host UNCG, Chattanooga, Georgia State, Marquette, Memphis, Mercer, Purdue, South Alabama, VCU and William & Mary.
-STARTING FOR THE IRISH…
The Notre Dame starting five are sophomore Matthew Rushton, senior Patrick Grahek, senior Tyler Wingo, sophomore Liam Cox and freshman Thomas Steve.
-TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Results will be posted on the UND Athletic Department Web site (www.UND.com) at the conclusion of each round. Live results will be available through Golfstat.com.
-LOOKING AHEAD
Notre Dame is idle until kicking off the 2015 spring season on Feb. 23-24 at the Jones Invitational at the Vallencia Country Club in Los Angeles, California.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – One final tournament remains on the fall docket for the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team to officially close the book on the 2014 competitive season. The Irish will take part in the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, this weekend on the East Course at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Play begins Saturday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (ET), with players remaining on the course to complete the second leg of the opening 36-hole day at the Grandover Resort East Course. The third and final round is expected to commence with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start on Sunday.
Notre Dame has been idle since a ninth place finish at the Rod Myers Invitational on Oct. 12 at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. Sophomore Matthew Rushton was the top Irish finisher at that event, logging a career-high placement on the leaderboard by tying for second place at five-under-par 139 (67-71). The tournament’s scheduled third round was canceled due to inclement weather.
Rushton, making his sixth and final start of the 2014 fall campaign for Notre Dame, enters the weekend with the best season stroke average for the Irish at 71.46. Seven of Rushton’s 13 rounds to open his sophomore season have been at par or better, including six under-par rounds and four rounds in the 60s. The Cape Town, South Africa native has added two top five finishes to his fall resume.
Senior Patrick Grahek remains in the Notre Dame starting five for the sixth straight tournament, having compiled a 73.31 stroke average in his 13 rounds thus far in the fall slate. Grahek earned co-medalist honors for the first time in his career at the Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge on Aug. 30, stringing together rounds of 67-69 to finish at 136 (-6). A total of 12 of the 13 rounds logged by the Alpharetta, Georgia native have counted toward team scoring, and Grahek has chipped in three rounds of par or better.
Senior Tyler Wingo will make his fourth straight start this weekend at the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, looking to improve on a season-best share off 33rd place finish at the Fighting Irish Golf Classic in September. Wingo has the third-lowest stroke average among all Notre Dame players, checking in at a 74.88 clip, and the Fairfax, Virginia native is in search of his first top 25 finish of the season.
Sophomore Liam Cox returns to the Notre Dame starting five for the first time since September’s Fighting Irish Golf Classic. Cox will look to build on his season-best 16th place finish at August’s Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge. Freshman Thomas Steve rounds out the Irish order in his sixth career start, in search of his second top 10 result of the fall. Steve was the top Notre Dame starter at the team’s own Fighting Irish Golf Classic, carding a final score of three-over-par 216 to claim solo eighth place.
Live results will be available via Golfstat.com, with all final tournament results posted at UND.com at the conclusion of each day.