Oct. 18, 2010
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team earned its fourth runner-up finish on the fall season on Monday, after shooting a final round three-under par (285) at the Lone Star Invitational at Briggs Ranch Golf Course in San Antonio. Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) and Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) shared the top spot amongst Irish golfers, finishing the tournament at three-under par (213), earning a share of third in the individual field.
The Irish fired the second-lowest round of the day at the tournament with their three-under par effort and made it five of the last six rounds under par as a unit, dating back through the Firestone Invitational. The team entered Monday in a tie for second at one-over par, but finished the tournament at two-under par (862), holding off North Texas by one shot (863, -1) in third. Texas-Arlington captured the title at nine-under par (855).
“We fought hard today,” Irish head coach Jim Kubinski exclaims. “Sometimes you finish second because of miscues we may have. Today we actually earned our second-place finish with a great team finish, playing at six-under par over the last four or five holes.”
Walker started shaky in his Monday round, sitting at three-over par after his first two holes, but played the final 16 holes at four-under par, aided by five birdies. He finished his final 18 holes at one-under par (71) for a 54-hole total of 213 (-3) and a share of third place. The third-place tie is the highest finish to-date of his career, besting his previous mark of a tie for sixth at the 2010 Invite at Kiawah.
Platt also finished in third with Walker, carding a final day 70 (-2). He recorded six birdies on the day and finished the back nine in 34 (-2) after playing the front nine at even par (36). The result gives Platt his second team-leading effort on the fall season and marks his second top-five finish as well.
“I love the way our kids fight,” Kubinski continues. “Chris earned his career best finish after starting three over after two holes. He never gave in and just battled all the way until the end. Niall was three under thru six and lost a tee shot just right on the seventh, making a double bogey. Yet he kept right on playing and his birdie on 18 was big for us.”
Tom Usher (Bradford, England) posted another under-par round for the Irish on the final day, finishing with a 71 (-1) and moving into a tie for 15th overall with a 54-hole total of 217 (+1). He took advantage of the par-5’s on Monday, playing them at three-under par on the day and four-under par for the tournament.
Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) notched the final score of the Irish rotation, carding a final round 73 (+1). He posted three birdies on the day and finished his tournament in a tie for 20th at four-over par (220).
Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) rounded out the Irish team, finishing the tournament with a final score of 223 (+7), good for a 35th-place tie, after recording a 74 (+2) in Monday’s final round. He carded three birdies on the day, including back-to-back on the 10th and 11th holes.
Notre Dame returns to action next Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 25-26) in the fall season finale at the Saint Mary’s (Calif.) Invitational at Bayonet & Blackhorse Golf Course in Seaside, Calif.
Lone Star Invitational – Briggs Ranch Golf Course, Par 72 – 7,258 yards
Top-Five Team Scores (54-hole totals): 1. Texas-Arlington (-9/855); 2. NOTRE DAME (-2/862); 3. North Texas (-1/863); 4. Texas State (+6/870); 5. UTEP (+9/873)
Top-Five Golfers (54-hole totals): 1. Carlos Ortiz (North Texas/211); 2. Alastair Jones (Texas State/212); t3. Chris Walker (NOTRE DAME/213); t3. Niall Platt (NOTRE DAME/213); t3. Paul McConnell (UT-Arlington/213); t3. Wes Worster (UT-Arlington/213)
Notre Dame Scores (54-hole totals): t3. Chris Walker (75-67-71-213); t3. Niall Platt (71-72-70-213); t15. Tom Usher (76-70-71-217); t20. Max Scodro (76-71-73-220); t35. Paul McNamara III (75-74-74-223)
–ND–