Sept. 27, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – With a final round 297 (+17) on Tuesday at the Warren Golf Course, the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team moved into fifth place at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic. The Irish finished with an overall score of 880 (+40) over the two-day event.
“We’re disappointed in our finish but very appreciative of all the support from everyone involved,” said Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “Matt Cielen and his crew did a remarkable job preparing the golf course under tough conditions. The greens were perfect. Of course the University and golf shop’s staff put in long hours doing great work. I can’t say enough about the tremendous help from our volunteers. The support throughout was phenomenal. I was proud to be part of our ND community.”
St. Mary’s (Calif.) and Houston (870, +30) shared this year’s title with weather and travel arrangements impeding any sort of a playoff. Minnesota and Texas-Arlington (873, +33) also shared third place at the end of the final round. Individually, Texas-Arlington’s Paul McConnell held on for a one-shot victory with a score of 210 (E).
For the Irish, senior Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for the third-straight fall tournament, finishing in fourth place with a 213 (+3). Scodro posted one of three sub-par rounds in the final day of play, carding a 69 (-1). The round was made up of four birdies, including back-to-back on holes one and two, one bogey, one double bogey and 12 pars.
“Max did a fantastic job today and, really, all the way through,” remarked Kubinski. “To shoot a 69 in those conditions today was one you write home about. He really saved us today.”
Junior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) finished second amongst the Irish rotation and tied for 19th overall after recording a final round 75 (+5) to post a 220 (+10) over the two days. McNamara’s final round included two birdies, five bogeys, one double bogey and 10 pars.
“I thought Paul bounced back with pretty solid play in tough conditions this week,” stated Kubinski. “He hung in there all three rounds.”
After a first day that saw him in a tie for ninth, senior Tom Usher (Baildon, England) struggled in his final round, posting an 81 (+11), which was not counted toward the team count. The round saw eight bogeys, two double bogeys and seven pars to go along with one birdie, which came on the opening hole of his round.
“Tom had an excellent first 36 holes,” commented Kubinski. “It was great to see him back in top form. He struggled today but a lot of players did. He’s showing good signs in his game.”
Sophomore Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and senior Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) rounded out the Irish rotation, finishing with scores of 229 (+19) and 231 (+21) to finish in a tie for 55th and a tie for 58th, respectively. On the day, Platt finished with a 76 (+6), while Walker carded his third-straight round of 77 (+7).
“We didn’t get enough from the fourth and fifth scores each round,” said Kubinski. “We played our game in round one but just didn’t have it in the final two. It does happen in this game. We keep hurting ourselves with big numbers in otherwise solid rounds. We must eliminate those lapses. We’ll address things the next couple of weeks and be ready for Kiawah.”
The Irish again sent their full contingent of individual entrants out for the final round of action. Sophomore Andrew Carreon (San Antonio, Texas) used a final round 78 (+8) to earn a share of 11th overall at 218 (+8). Sophomore Andrew Lane (Fairport, N.Y.) finished next amongst the individual entrants with a final total of 222 (+12), good for 27th.
Senior walk-on Ryan Coughlin (Rye, N.Y.) and freshman Tyler Wingo (Fairfax, Va.) also each earned top-50 finishes, sharing 42nd overall at 227 (+17). Freshman Patrick Grahek (Alpharetta, Ga.), junior walk-on Edward Hjerpe (Barrington, R.I.) and freshman Peyton Vitter (New Orleans, La.) rounded out the Irish participants after finishing in a tie for 58th, a tie for 64th and 69th, respectively, with scores of 231 (+21), 233 (+23) and 240 (+30).
The Irish now enjoy a two-week break before heading back for their second straight appearance at the Invite at Kiawah. Action gets underway Oct. 17-18 in the second-to-last tournament for Notre Dame this fall campaign.
Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic - Warren Golf Course - Par 70, 7,023 yards
Top-Five Teams (Final):T1. St. Mary's (CA) 870 +30T1. Houston 870 +30T3. Minnesota 873 +33T3. Texas-Arlington 873 +335. Notre Dame 880 +40
Top-Six Individuals (Final):1. Paul McConnell, UT-Arlington 210 E2. James Ross, Houston 211 +13. Jared Dalga, Eastern Michigan 212 +24. Max Scodro, Notre Dame 213 +3T5. Robert Bell, Minnesota 214 +4T5. Taylor Travis, San Francisco 214 +4
Notre Dame Results (Final):5. NOTRE DAME 880 +404. Max Scodro 213 +3T11. Andrew Carreon (I) 218 +8T19. Paul McNamara III 220 +1027. Andrew Lane (I) 222 +12T31. Tom Usher 224 +14T42. Ryan Coughlin (I) 227 +17T42. Tyler Wingo (I) 227 +17T55. Niall Platt 229 +19T58. Chris Walker 231 +21T58. Patrick Grahek (I) 231 +21T64. Edward Hjerpe (I) 233 +2369. Peyton Vitter (I) 240 +30
–ND–