Oct. 17, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team will play host to its second fall tournament Sunday-Tuesday, Oct. 19-21 when it holds the 14-team adidas Fall Invitational. However, the tournament won’t be held at Notre Dame’s traditional home course in South Bend, but rather in Palm Harbor, Fla., at the par-72, 5,844-yard Lansbrook Golf Club. This marks the second consecutive year the Irish have hosted a fall tournament in Florida – Notre Dame placed eighth out of 11 teams at the 2002 adidas Fall Invitational, which was held at the Dye Course at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Irish should be well-rested, having last taken to the links on Oct. 6-7 when they finished seventh in the Shootout at the Legends, which was held in Franklin, Ind., at the Legends of Indiana course. Notre Dame rebounded from a tough first round to earn its highest-ever finish at the prestigious tournament, posting a score of 902 that was a 41-stroke improvement over the previous year’s score at the Shootout.
Freshman Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates HS) will lead off the Irish lineup at the adidas tourney, hoping to continue her sizzling early-season success. The rookie has placed in the Top 10 at each of her first four tournaments and has a team-best 74.42 stroke average that features three rounds of par or lower and includes a school-record 69 in her opening round as a collegian at the Cougar Fall Classic.
Sophomore Katie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) also has been a major contributor for Notre Dame early on this season. She has finished 15th or better in all four of her tournament appearances this year, highlighted by a tie for fifth place at the Notre Dame Invitational last month. She is second on the team with a 75.67 stroke average.
Sophomore Sarah Bassett (Spokane, Wash./Lewis and Clark HS) has come on of late for the Irish, ranking third on the squad with a 76.00 stroke average. At the Notre Dame Invitational last month, she carded a season-low 230 to help the Irish win the team title by a single stroke. She will be joined by senior co-captain Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove HS), who fired a career-low score of 223 to tie Brophy for seventh at the season-opening Cougar Classic.
The remainder of the Notre Dame lineup consists of sophomores Lauren Gebauer (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington HS) and Suzie Hayes (Dublin, Ireland/Loreto College St. Stephen’s Green). Gebauer has played in the last two tournaments for the Irish, once as an individual, while Hayes will see action for the fourth consecutive tournament. Two other Notre Dame players – junior Karen Lotta (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount HS) and freshman Stacy Brown (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) – will compete as individuals at the tournament, with their scores not counting towards the Irish team total.
The 54-hole adidas Fall Invitational begins Sunday at 1 p.m. (EDT) with opening round play. The second round is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 a.m. (EDT), with the final round slated to take place Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. (EDT). Results from each round of the tournament will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com) and will be updated on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
– ND –