April 22, 2003
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team finished the 2002-03 season in style on Tuesday afternoon as they captured the first-ever BIG EAST Women’s Golf Championship at the par 72, 6,033-yard Warren Golf Course. The Irish, along with the tournament field, battled temperatures in the mid-30’s and 10-20 m.p.h. winds in winning the title by 44 strokes over second place Miami.
The Irish won the tournament during Monday’s 36-holes as they built their 44-stroke lead on the strength of rounds of 312 and 305. On Tuesday, Coach Debby King’s squad fired a 324 total for a 54-hole mark of 941. Miami, the tournament’s top seed, struggled all three days, firing rounds of 327, 334 and 324 to take second with a 985 total.
Boston College was third in the tournament with a 1,010 total (334-341-335) and Georgetown rounded out the four-team field with a 1,019 finish (347-326-346). This was the first BIG EAST Women’s Championship as the league sponsored women’s golf for the first time this season. After a two-year waiting period, the winner of the BIG EAST will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA beginning in 2005.
Individually, Notre Dame’s Katie Brophy (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) was the league’s co-champion along with Miami sophomore Tina Miller as the duo finished with a 13-over par 229 total for the 54 holes. Brophy came into Tuesday’s final round with a two-shot lead over teammates Shannon Byrne (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Karen Lotta (So., Los Angeles, Calif.) and a three-stroke lead on Miller. Brophy fired a final round 77 while Miller shot a 74 to tie at 229 and both were named co-champions.
Byrne, Suzie Hayes (Fr., Dublin, Ireland) and Lotta finished third, fourth and fifth in the tournament. Byrne finished five strokes behind the leaders with a 234 (82-72-80). Hayes was fourth, three strokes behind Byrne with a 237 (78-79-80) and Lotta ended fifth with a 243 mark after rounds of 75, 79 and 89 for the 54 holes.
Rounding out Notre Dame’s five golfers was freshman Lauren Gebauer (Columbus, Ohio) who was 12th with a 252 total after shooting rounds of 82, 83 and 87.
Brophy, Miller, Byrne, Hayes and Lotta were joined on the All-BIG EAST Team by Georgetown’s Nicole Hayashi and Christy Larrimore along with Miami’s Camilla Hilland as the conference honors the first seven finishers with league honors.
The 2003 BIG EAST Women’s Championship closes out the season for the Notre Dame women’s golf team.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS (54-hole totals): 1. Notre Dame 312-305-324-941; 2. Miami 327-334-324-985; 3. Boston College 334-341-335-1,010; 4. Georgetown 347-326-346-1,019.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 20): t1. Katie Brophy (Notre Dame) 77-75-77-229; Tina Miller (Miami) 76-79-74-229; 3. Shannon Byrne (Notre Dame) 82-72-80-234; 4. Suzie Hayes (Notre Dame) 78-79-80-237; 5. Karen Lotta (Notre Dame) 75-79-89; 6. Nicole Hayashi (Georgetown) 82-78-84-244; t7. Camilla Hilland (Miami) 87-78-80-245; Christy Larrimore (Georgetown) 83-78-84-245; 9. Jazmin Cataldo (Miami) 78-84-84-246; 10. Kori Goulet (Boston College) 82-81-85-248.
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 20): t1. Katie Brophy 77-75-77-229; 3. Shannon Byrne 82-72-80-234; 4. Suzie Hayes 78-79-80-237; 5. Karen Lotta 75-79-89; 12. Lauren Gebauer 82-83-87-252.