Oct. 7, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team concluded play at the Shootout at the Legends in seventh place on Tuesday. After shooting 308 in the first round, the Irish came back to fire scores of 294 and 300 to finish with a 54-hole total of 902. The team’s 902 is an improvement of 41 strokes over their total of 943 (316-309-318) at the 2002 Shootout at the Legends, which placed the Irish in 13th place (16-team field). Kent State won the tournament for the second consecutive year, leading throughout and ending with a 13-over par 877 (289-289-299). The 18-team tournament was played at the par-72, 6,207-yard golf course at the Legends of Indiana in Franklin, Ind.
Kent State won by two strokes over Indiana, which shot an 879 (298-288-293). Following the Hoosiers, Missouri finish third with an 893 (300-298-295) and Arkansas (293-305-296) and Texas Christian (293-299-302) tied for fourth place at 894.
With the scores of 300 or better in the second and third rounds, Notre Dame has now achieved such a score four times this season, the other two instances coming in the first and final rounds at the season-opening Cougar Classic (285, a school record, and 300). Before this season, the Irish had rounds of 300 or better only twice before in school history, a 295 at the 1997 Midwest Classic and a 297 at the 2003 Snowbird Invitational.
Freshman Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates HS) led the Irish as she shot a one-under par 71 in the final round to finish in seventh place with a two-over par 218 (73-74-71). The rookie’s performance put her three strokes behind tournament-medalist Karen Dennison of Indiana who ended with a three-under par 213 (72-72-69). Nakazaki has led the Irish in three of the four tournaments they have played in this fall.
Sophomore Katie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) was next for Notre Dame, shooting an even-par 72 in the second round and a 74 in the final 18 holes to card a five-over par total of 221 (75-72-74), placing her in a 15th-place tie.
Sophomore Sarah Bassett (Spokane, Wash./Lewis and Clark HS),coming off a third-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational, finished behind Brophy by five strokes and tied in 27th with a 226 (77-73-76). Fellow sophomore Suzie Hayes (Dublin, Ireland/Loreto College St. Stephen’s Green) followed her classmates Brophy and Bassett with a 239 (83-75-81), putting her in a 74th-place tie. Rounding out the Irish five, sophomore Lauren Gebauer (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington HS) shot 248 (85-84-79) over the two days, finishing in 83rd place.
The Irish will be in action again Sunday-Tuesday, October 19-21, as they host the adidas Invitational in Palm Harbor, Fla. The 14-team, 54-hole tournament will be played at the par-72, 5,884-yard Lansbrook Golf Club. Teams will play 18 holes each day with action getting underway with shotgun starts each day, 11:00 a.m. (EDT) on Sunday and 7:30 a.m. (EDT) on Monday and Tuesday.
— ND —
FINAL TEAM RESULTS: 1. Kent State 877 (289-289-299); 2. Indiana 879 (298-288-293); 3. Missouri 893 (300-298-295); 4.(tie) Arkansas 894 (293-305-296), Texas Christian 894 (293-299-302); 6. Northwestern 900 (302-293-305); 7. Notre Dame 902 (308-294-300); 8. Texas A&M 905 (303-305-297); 9. Nebraska 908 (302-298-308); 10.(tie) Illinois State 912 (310-299-303), Wisconsin 912 (303-302-307); 12. Iowa 917 (309-297-311); 13. Minnesota 921 (302-311-308); 14. Campbell 928 (330-296-302); 15. Kansas 930 (315-311-304); 16. Illinois 938 (312-308-318); 17. Toledo 939 (307-315-317); 18. Eastern Michigan 963 (322-321-320).
TOP NINE INDIVIDUALS (of 93): 1. Karen Dennison (Indiana) 213 (72-72-69); 2.(tie) Denise Knaebel (Missouri) 216 (73-73-70), Brooke Tull (Texas Christian) 216 (72-72-72); 4.(tie) Malinda Johnson (Wisconsin) 217 (71-75-71), Samantha Richdale (Illinois State) 217 (74-70-73), Danah Ford (Indiana) 217 (73-70-74); 7. Noriko Nakazaki (Notre Dame) 218 (73-74-71); 8.(tie) Becky Wood (Kent State) 219 (67-77-75), Gabby Wedding (Kent State) 219 (73-72-74).
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 93): 7. Noriko Nakazaki 218 (73-74-71); 15.(tie) Katie Brophy 221 (75-72-74); 27.(tie) Sarah Bassett 226 (77-73-76); 74.(tie) Suzie Hayes 239 (83-75-81); 83. Lauren Gebauer 248 (85-84-79).