May 21, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team was one of the big movers on the second day of the NCAA Central Regional, jumping into 13th place with a nine-over par 297 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. Despite having to tee off on the back nine at the difficult Kampen Course (7,259 yards, par 72) in the afternoon heat and humidity on Friday, the Irish fired one of the best scores of the day and now stand at 31-over par 607 for the tournament, which concludes Saturday.
Kentucky made the biggest charge on day two, carding a three-under par 285 to grab the overall lead at 583 (+7), two shots clear of two-time defending regional champion Oklahoma State. UK’s Brandon Waldrop has assumed the individual lead after two days at four-under par 140 (70-70), two shots better than Jason Hardwick of Texas.
At the conclusion of the 54-hole regional, the top 10 teams and two lowest individuals not on those teams will qualify for the NCAA Championships June 1-4 at The Homestead (Cascades Course) in Hot Springs, Va. Currently, Kansas State and Minnesota are tied for 10th place at 29-over par 605, with the Irish sitting two strokes out of the final qualifying position.
Sophomore Eric Deutsch (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS) continued his stellar play at the regional, firing a one-under par 71 on Friday to move into a tie for 15th place overall at 147 (+3), the lowest 36-hole total ever posted by an Irish golfer in NCAA competition. Rian McNally held the previous Notre Dame two-round postseason record with a 148 at the 1966 NCAA Championship. Deutsch’s second-round 71 also is the second-best NCAA single-round mark in school history (McNally fired a 70 during his opening round in ’66), and it was punctuated by a sparkling three-under 33 on the tougher back nine of the course.
Sophomore Scott Gustafson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) recorded his second consecutive round of three-over par 75 and is now in a 30th-place tie at six-over par 150. Gustafson was two-over par through his first six holes, then reeled off 11 straight pars before his par putt on the 18th hole curled to the lip of the cup, but would not fall.
Sophomore Mark Baldwin (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton Prep) made a big contribution for Notre Dame on Friday, carding an even-par 72 that featured a magnificent birdie putt at No. 17 to highlight a one-under 35 on the final nine holes. Baldwin moved up into a tie for 51st place in the overall standings at nine-over par 153 (81-72) with his performance on Friday.
After a shaky beginning to his second round that saw him go five-over through his first five holes, sophomore Tommy Balderston (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrews HS) recovered nicely to play at level par for the ensuing 12 holes. However, a double bogey at No. 18 left him at seven-over par 79 for the day and 17-over par 161 (82-79) for the tournament, putting him in a tie for 109th place.
Freshman Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian HS) had the most trouble of any Irish golfer on day two, registering a 13-over par 85 for a two-round score of 19-over 163 (78-85) and a tie for 120th place in the 141-man field. Friday marked just the third time in 33 rounds this season that Isban has not seen his score applied to the team total. The second-round 85 is a rarity for the talented Irish rookie, who had only three rounds of 80 or higher this year and just one in the spring season prior to Friday afternoon.
Notre Dame will return to the links Saturday for the third and final round of the NCAA Central Regional. The Irish will tee off beginning at 8:42 a.m. (EST/CDT) and will be paired with golfers from Colorado and Ohio State. Full updates from the NCAA Central Regional will be provided on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000) and www.und.com throughout the day.
— ND —
2004 NCAA Central Regional
Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex/Kampen Course – West Lafayette, Ind.
Par 72 – 7,259 yards
Friday, May 21 – Second Round Scores
TEAM LEADERS: 1. Kentucky 583 (298-285); 2. Oklahoma State 585 (287-298); 3. Texas 594 (298-296); 4. Texas A&M 595 (292-303); 5. Purdue 597 (295-302); 6. Oklahoma 599 (305-294); 7. SMU 601 (302-299); 8. (tie) Wichita State 602 (302-300) and TCU 602 (305-297); 10. (tie) Kansas State 605 (300-305) and Minnesota 605 (302-303); 12. Kent State 606 (301-305); 13. NOTRE DAME 607 (310-297); 14. Colorado 611 (304-307); 15. Ohio State 612 (302-310); 16. Texas Tech 613 (317-296); 17. Indiana 614 (306-308); 18. Kansas 615 (315-300); 19. Tulsa 620 (314-306); 20. (tie) Arkansas 621 (314-307) and Lamar 621 (309-312); 22. Xavier 628 (312-316); 23. Illinois 629 (309-320); 24. Baylor 638 (321-317); 25. Princeton 641 (323-318); 26. Western Illinois 646 (323-323); 27. Jackson State 670 (333-337).
TOP EIGHT INDIVIDUALS (of 141): 1. Brandon Waldrop (Kentucky) 140 (70-70); 2. Jason Hartwick (Texas) 142 (69-73); 3. (tie) John Holmes (Kentucky) 143 (73-70), Andrew Parr (Texas A&M) 143 (69-74) and Casey Wittenberg (Oklahoma State) 143 (69-74); 6. Heath Peters (Indiana) 144 (74-70); 7. Will Dodson (SMU) 145 (72-73); 8. (tie) seven players at 146.
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 141): 15. (tie) Eric Deutsch 147 (76-71); 30. (tie) Scott Gustafson 150 (75-75); 51. (tie) Mark Baldwin 153 (81-72); 109. (tie) Tommy Balderston 161 (82-79); 120 (tie). Cole Isban 163 (78-85).