Feb. 17, 2008
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Junior Josh Sandman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) fired an opening-round 73 (+1) and is among a group of golfers tied for 17th place as the 17th annual John Hayt Collegiate Invitational teed off Sunday at the Sawgrass Country Club (par 72/6,895 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. As a team, Notre Dame is tied with Central Florida and Coastal Carolina for 13th place in the 15-team field at 18-over par 306, while defending champion Alabama holds the first-round lead at 290 (+2) — no less than 10 of the nation’s top 50 squads, including four top-10 teams, are competing in this week’s tournament.
Sandman, who collected three birdies during his round (two in his first four holes), currently is four strokes behind individual leader Joel Sjoholm of Georgia State in the 81-man field. Sophomore Doug Fortner (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) is tied for 24th place, one shot back of his teammate, after carding a two-over par 74 during Sunday’s first round. Playing as an individual participant this week, sophomore Carl Santos-Ocampo (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) is in a 43rd-place tie at four-over par 76.
Rounding out the Notre Dame lineup are freshman Connor Alan-Lee (Solana Beach, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School), who is tied for 61st place with a 78 (+6), senior tri-captain Greg Rodgers (Phoenix, Md./St. Paul’s School), who is in 74th place at 81 (+9), and freshman Tyler Hock (Ocala, Fla./Forest), who is in 80th place after an opening-round 88 (+16). As it turned out, the one hole that hampered the Irish more than any other on Sunday was No. 9 (their last of the day after teeing off on the back side of the course), with Notre Dame golfers going a combined 10-over par on the par-4, 435-yard hole that is playing as the second-toughest of the tournament thus far.
The Irish will look to get back on track Monday in the second round of the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational, when they go off at 8:18 a.m. (ET) from the 10th tee at Sawgrass, starting at nine-minute intervals. Live scoring is available via the Golfstat web site, while complete results will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (UND.com) upon completion of the day’s action. Fans also can obtain updates on the Irish at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational via the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000) and the Irish ALERT text message system (visit UND.com for more details).
— ND —
John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
Feb. 17, 2008 — Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Sawgrass Country Club (par 72/6,895 yards)
TEAM RESULTS (18-hole totals): 1. Alabama 290; 2. Tennessee 291; 3. Pepperdine 294; 4. (tie) UCLA and Charlotte 295; 6. (tie) North Florida, Georgia State and Florida 296; 9. South Carolina 300; 10. UAB 201; 11. (tie) Indiana and Vanderbilt 302; 13. (tie) NOTRE DAME, UCF and Coastal Carolina 306.
TOP SEVEN INDIVIDUALS PLUS NOTRE DAME FINISHERS (of 81): 1. Joel Sjoholm (GSU) 69; 2. (tie) Jason Kang (UCLA) and Michael O’Neal (UNF) 70; 4. (tie) Tyler Brown (UF), Eric Shriver (Pepp), Will Strickler* (UF) and Joseph Sykora (Ala) 71; 17. (tie) Josh Sandman (ND) 73; 24. (tie) Doug Fortner (ND) 74; 43. (tie) Carl Santos-Ocampo* (ND) 76; 61. (tie) Connor Alan-Lee (ND) 78; 74. Greg Rodgers (ND) 81; 80. Tyler Hock (ND) 88.
* – indicates player competing as individual participant (score not counted to team total)