April 11, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team will play host to the Battle at the Warren for the second straight year when it takes to the course at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday at the Warren Golf Course. The 18-hole tournament serves as the final tune-up before the Irish head to the BIG EAST Championships.
“I think it’s important for us to be hosting this event,” stated Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “We’ve played 22 rounds in stroke play events this year and have played well to very well in 18 of those rounds. We’re batting close to 90% with those numbers, in terms of strong play, yet we have some guys who seem a bit disappointed with where we are. This is a perfect opportunity to re-establish who we are as a team and to get some very positive feelings going before BIG EAST play. I believe in momentum. A solid performance will give us that.”
After playing host to a heads-up matchup against Detroit last season, the Battle at the Warren expanded to a five-team field this year. In addition to the Irish and Detroit, the remainder of this year’s teams will be Oakland, Bradley and Jackson State.
“It’s early to be hosting in our area,” said Kubinski. “The Warren has only been open for 10-11 days. Yet, Matt Cielen and his crew do a great, great job. I anticipate very playable conditions and a good test for all the teams. We’re certainly happy to play at home and will hopefully use the home cooking to establish enough momentum to see us through a successful BIG EAST campaign.”
Last time out for the Irish, the squad finished eighth at the LSU National Invitational with a 54-hole score of 917 (+53). Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) led the way individually, carding a 227 (+11).
The Battle at the Warren gets underway with the first tee times getting underway at 1:30 p.m. with the Irish set to take the course shortly thereafter at around 2:20 p.m. Notre Dame will decide upon a five-man rotation for the round, with the remainder of the roster playing as individuals.
“The lineup will be Max (Scodro), Niall (Platt), Chris (Walker), Paul (McNamara) and Connor Alan-Lee,” remarked Kubinski. “We’ve lost an important cog, in junior Tom Usher, to injury for the next month or so but Connor will step in and do a nice job. He has a great deal of experience and is playing solidly in practice right now. He’s fun to be around too. I think he’ll add a great deal to our mix.”
The BIG EAST Tournament then awaits the Irish on Sunday-Tuesday (April 17-19) at the Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla. Last season, the Irish finished second to Georgetown at the Championship.
A full recap of tomorrow’s round will be posted at und.com shortly upon completion of the tournament.
–ND–