April 18, 2015
GREENSBORO, N.C. — It’s a sure sign of a college golf program on the rise when it trims nearly 30 shots off its performance in the same tournament a year earlier and yet doesn’t feel satisfied.
That was the exact feeling among the players and coaches for the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team after the Fighting Irish finished in sixth place at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship on Saturday, carding a 12-over par 876 (287-295-294) at the Sedgefield Country Club (par 72/6,089 yards) in Greensboro, North Carolina.
In its second appearance at the ACC tournament, and playing in an 11-team field that included six of the nation’s top 35 teams, No. 32 Notre Dame more than held its own, posting its second-lowest 54-hole score in a conference tournament in program history, topped only by its winning 861 (-3) score at the 2013 BIG EAST Conference Championship.
This weekend’s ACC Championship total also was a significant improvement over the 905 score the Fighting Irish carded a year ago on the same challenging Sedgefield layout, which in its spare time, has served as one of the regular homes of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship (formerly the Greater Greensboro Open) since the event’s inception in 1938.
“There are mixed feelings with our team right now,” Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt said. “On the one hand, it’s hard to be upset about the kind of score we had on this kind of course against an elite NCAA-caliber field. At the same time, we left a lot of shots out there and had the potential to do even greater things this weekend. From tee to green, we were very solid, but we have to find a way to get the ball in the cup faster, to put up some more birdies and, in general, take advantage of the opportunities we’ve created for ourselves.
“I think the best thing we can take away from this tournament as a team is the potential we have,” Holt said. “We didn’t play our best and we know that by making a few more putts, we’re right in the mix for a championship. That’s encouraging and something we’ll look to build on the next couple of weeks heading into (NCAA) regionals.”
Junior Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy) was Notre Dame’s leading finisher at the ACC Championship, tying for 11th place at one-under par 215 (71-72-72). It was Campbell’s second-lowest 54-hole score of the season, tying her lowest mark with relation to par, and challenged only by a 209 (-1) on a par-70 course at the Schooner Fall Classic back on Oct. 6 in Norman, Oklahoma. Campbell’s final round was highlighted by an eagle on No. 15, when the Texan chipped out of a greenside bunker despite facing a short right pin placement and less than four feet of green to work with.
Campbell’s eagle was her second of the season, coincidentally having converted on another 15th hole, this one at the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Oct. 17 during the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Campbell also had one of only three eagles among the 55-player field at this weekend’s ACC Championship en route to her sixth top-20 finish in nine events this season, and her fourth in five spring tournaments.
Freshman Kari Bellville (Granger, Ind./Penn) capped off arguably the finest tournament of her brief college career, sharing 26th place at four-over par 220 (71-75-74). Coming off a career low-tying 71 in the opening round, Bellville rode that momentum to her second-lowest tournament score of the season, and lowest with relation to par, as compared to a five-over par 215 (that included two rounds of 71) on the par-70 course at the Schooner Fall Classic back in October.
Senior captain Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) turned in a consistent performance all weekend to join Bellville in 26th place at four-over par 220 (73-73-74). Armstrong, who shaved 11 strokes off her score in last year’s ACC Championship at Sedgefield, reeled off 13 consecutive pars between the midpoint of her second round the early stages of her third round with only one real stumble (a double bogey on No. 12) during her final circuit.
Senior Kelli Oride (Lihue, Hawaii/Kauai) completed her final conference tournament appearance in a tie for 34th place at eight-over par 224 (72-76-76). Oride also improved on her ACC tournament performance from a season ago, cutting five shots off her final score.
Sophomore Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) tied for 40th place this weekend at 12-over par 228 (79-75-74). Ferreira began Saturday’s back half of the second round by holing out for a birdie from approximately 50 feet near the front edge of the No. 10 green, and the second-year standout used that momentum to register 19 pars and three birdies while playing her final 27 holes in two-over par.
Notre Dame now awaits the announcement of the 2015 NCAA Championship field, with that release broadcast live at 7 p.m. (ET) April 27 on The Golf Channel. Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course will serve as one of four host sites for NCAA women’s golf regionals this year, with the NCAA Notre Dame Regional set for May 7-9 — should the Fighting Irish be selected for this year’s Championship, they would be assigned to the Notre Dame Regional.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
ACC Championship
April 17-18, 2015 — FINAL
Sedgefield Country Club (par 72/6,089 yards)
Greensboro, N.C.
FINAL TEAM SCORES (54-hole totals): 1. Virginia 837 (280-279-278); 2. Duke 863 (286-288-289); 3. (tie) North Carolina 866 (289-290-287), Florida State 866 (281-293-292) and Wake Forest 866 (288-281-297); 6. NOTRE DAME 876 (287-295-294); 7. Louisville 884 (291-297-296); 8. (tie) North Carolina State 887 (296-295-296) and Clemson 887 (292-298-297); 10. Miami 893 (294-296-303); 11. Boston College 914 (303-305-306).
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS PLUS NOTRE DAME GOLFERS (of 55): 1. *Leona Maguire (DU) 206 (68-68-70) and Briana Mao (UVA) 206 (68-71-67); 3. Allison Emrey (WF) 208 (70-68-70); 4. (tie) Lauren Coughlin (UVA) 210 (72-69-69) and Lauren Diaz-Yi (UVA) 210 (72-68-70); 6. Gurbani Singh (DU) 211 (70-69-72); 7. Lyberty Anderson (UVA) 212 (68-71-73); 8. (tie) Cristina McQuiston (BC) 214 (68-76-70), Lydia Gumm (FSU) 214 (70-72-72) and Daniela Darquea (UM) 214 (71-71-72); 11. (tie) Talia Campbell (ND) 215 (71-72-72); 26. (tie) Kari Bellville (ND) 220 (71-75-74) and Ashley Armstrong (ND) 220 (73-73-74); 34. (tie) Kelli Oride (ND) 224 (72-76-76); 40. (tie) Jordan Ferreira (ND) 228 (79-75-74).
* – won on second playoff hole
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director