March 15, 2015
MESA, Ariz. — One of the key attributes of any successful program is consistency, and the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team continues to remain as consistent as any team in the nation.
For the third consecutive tournament, and the fourth time in six events this season, the Fighting Irish posted a top-three finish, taking runner-up honors at the fourth annual Clover Cup, which wrapped up Sunday afternoon at Longbow Golf Club (par 72/6,184 yards) in Mesa, Arizona.
No. 32 Notre Dame finished second in its own spring tournament for the second consecutive year, registering a three-round score of 32-over par 896 (296-301-299) to trail only 26th-ranked Arizona State (885) in the 15-team field. TCU made a late charge on Sunday and moved up into third place at 898, two shots behind the Fighting Irish.
“It’s tough to find much wrong about a second-place finish,” Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt said. “We were in a position to contend for the title for much of the weekend, and had we done a better job of capitalizing on our opportunities and making a few more putts, we really would have had a great shot to win. Overall, I think we learned some good lessons this weekend, things that will really help us grow and develop moving forward.
“We are so thankful to the staff at Longbow (Golf Club) and Visit Mesa, as well as all of the participating teams, who helped make the Clover Cup such a great tournament experience again this year,” Holt added.
Junior Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy) led three Notre Dame golfers who finished in the top 15 of the 89-player tournament. Campbell placed fourth at one-over par 217 (72-74-71) after storming from the gate on Sunday with three birdies on the front nine. She would add two more birdies on the back side en route to matching her best finish of the year, originally set at the season-opening Mary Fossum Invitational back on Sept. 13-14.
“Talia played really well on a very challenging course,” Holt said. “She’s so steady and showed good focus all weekend, especially early on in (Sunday’s) round with those three birdies. This is the second tournament in a row this spring where she’s looked strong and I think that bodes well for us as a team as we continue building momentum towards the conference and NCAA tournaments.”
Senior captain Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) picked up her third consecutive top-10 finish and fourth of the season, tying for eighth place at seven-over par 223 (76-71-76). Armstrong found herself digging out of an early deficit on Sunday with three bogeys in her opening five holes, but the veteran showed impressive mental toughness to right the ship with 12 pars in her final 13 holes to maintain her top-10 placement.
Sophomore Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) earned a share of 13th place, just shy of her best finish this season, after firing a nine-over par 225 (73-78-74). Ferreira was one of Notre Dame’s most consistent players on Sunday, carding 16 pars around her only two hiccups of the day, a pair of bogeys in a three-hole stretch midway through the final round.
Senior Kelli Oride (Lihue, Hawaii/Kauai) ended up in a tie for 40th place at 17-over par 233 (75-78-80), while freshman Kari Bellville (Granger, Ind./Penn) completed the Notre Dame team scoring in a 64th-place tie at 25-over par 241 (84-79-78).
The Fighting Irish also had two players compete as individual participants this weekend. Sophomore Janie Fineis (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic) placed 83rd in her season debut at 41-over par 257 (85-83-89), while freshman Alison Snakard (Collegeville, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) ended up one spot behind her teammate in 84th place at 45-over par 261 (86-86-89).
Notre Dame will return to the links March 27-29 when it travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the LSU Tiger Classic.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
Notre Dame Clover Cup
March 13-15, 2015 — Final Scores
Longbow Golf Club (par 72/6,184 yards)
Mesa, Ariz.
FINAL TEAM SCORES (54-hole totals): 1. Arizona State 885 (295-295-295); 2. NOTRE DAME 896 (296-301-299); 3. TCU 898 (310-301-287); 4. Oklahoma 904 (297-306-301); 5. Florida International 907 (306-305-296); 6. SMU 915 (308-302-305); 7. Cincinnati 922 (313-305-304); 8. East Carolina 924 (307-308-309); 9. Nebraska 928 (318-298-312); 10. South Florida 932 (315-303-314); 11. (tie) Tulsa 938 (321-310-307) and Sam Houston State 938 (319-314-305); 13. UNC Wilmington 939 (326-305-308); 14. Ole Miss 954 (318-319-317); 15. Georgia State 966 (312-331-323).
TOP NINE INDIVIDUALS PLUS NOTRE DAME GOLFERS (of 89): 1. Hannah Wood (OU) 209 (69-71-69); 2. Monica Vaughn (ASU) 211 (69-71-71); 3. Annette Lyche (UNCW) 215 (74-68-73); 4. Talia Campbell (ND) 217 (72-74-71); 5. (tie) Noemi Jimenez (ASU) 221 (74-72-75) and Jordan Chael (NU) 221 (75-70-76); 7. Chaney Uhles (TCU) 222 (82-73-67); 8. (tie) Ashley Armstrong (ND) 223 (76-71-76) and Jenny Haglund (SMU) 223 (71-76-76); 13. (tie) Jordan Ferreira (ND) 225 (73-78-74); 40. (tie) Kelli Oride (ND) 233 (75-78-80); 64. (tie) Kari Bellville (ND) 241 (84-79-78); 83. Janie Fineis (ND)* 257 (85-83-89); 84. Alison Snakard (ND)* 261 (86-86-89).
* – competed as individual participant
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director