Oct. 18, 2014
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Saturday’s second round at the Mercedes-Benz Championship left the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team feeling like a jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table — a handful of pieces fit together, but in the end, the whole picture never quite becomes clear.
The Fighting Irish battled through their second consecutive up-and-down day, ultimately winding up in 10th place at 35-over par 603 (300-303) in the 16-team tournament, which is being played this weekend at the Cherokee Country Club (par 71/5,870 yards) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Louisville holds the 36-hole lead at 580 (+12), three strokes clear of Kent State (583, +15) and four ahead of South Carolina (584, +16).
“We had a tough time getting everyone going in the right direction today,” Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt said. “Jordan (Ferreira) played well on the front side, Talia (Campbell) had a solid back nine, but we really didn’t take advantage of the opportunity we were given at the start of the day to make a move up the standings.”
Junior Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy) continues to lead the Fighting Irish this weekend, currently sitting in a 10th-place tie at five-over par 146 (72-74). Campbell stumbled out of the gate with four bogeys in her first seven holes, but then played the remaining 11 holes in one-under par, coupling 10 pars with a birdie on No. 11.
Meanwhile, sophomore Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) came out swinging on Saturday, wiping out two bogeys with three birdies on the front nine, including one on No. 9. Ferreira was still in red numbers through the early portion of her second nine, but four bogeys on her final six holes left the second-year Fighting Irish player in a tie for 31st place at eight-over par 150 (76-74).
Freshman Kari Bellville (Granger, Ind./Penn) is in a 50th-place tie at 11-over par 153 (76-77), one stroke better than her senior teammate and captain, Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor), who is tied for 54th place at 12-over par 154 (76-78). Senior Kelli Oride (Lihue, Hawaii/Kauai) is the other Notre Dame player in action this weekend, currently in a 75th-place tie at 17-over par 159 (77-82).
Notre Dame will tee off at 10:15 a.m. (ET) Sunday in the final round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, with Tennessee offering live scoring through the Golfstat web site (www.golfstat.com). The No. 31 Fighting Irish currently are four strokes back of 11th-ranked Furman (ninth at 599, +31), six behind No. 36 Denver (tied-seventh at 597, +29) and 12 shots in arrears of No. 13 Tennessee (sixth at 591, +26).
“We are still within striking distance of not only a finish in the top half of a really strong tournament, but also catching several teams that are ranked above or near us in the Golfstat rankings,” Holt said. “We still have a lot to play for this weekend, and the chance is there for us to reach those goals.”
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.
Mercedes-Benz Championship
Oct. 17-19, 2014
Cherokee Country Club (par 71/5,870 yards)
Knoxville, Tenn.
ROUND TWO TEAM SCORES (36-hole totals): 1. Louisville 580 (293-287); 2. Kent State 583 (289-294); 3. South Carolina 584 (295-289); 4. Missouri 587 (297-290); 5. UCF 589 (294-295); 6. Tennessee 591 (301-290); 7. (tie) Denver 597 (297-300) and Wisconsin 597 (304-293); 9. Furman 599 (299-300); 10. NOTRE DAME 603 (300-303); 11. College of Charleston 608 (306-302); 12. Michigan 610 (311-299); 13. Chattanooga 615 (317-298); 14. Penn State 618 (317-301); 15. East Tennessee State 623 (317-306); 16. Eastern Kentucky 637 (324-313).
TOP NINE INDIVIDUALS PLUS NOTRE DAME GOLFERS (of 90): 1. Nanna Madsen (USC) 141 (72-69); 2. Alina Rogers (MU) 142 (71-71); 3. Hannah Pietila (UT) 143 (74-69); 4. (tie) Justine Dreher (USC) 144 (73-71) and Jennifer Ha (KSU) 144 (72-72); 6. Emily Haas (UL) 145 (73-72), Molly Skapik (UL) 145 (72-73), Wad Phaewchimplee (KSU) 145 (71-74) and Kimberly Dinh (UW) 145 (74-71); 10. (tie) Talia Campbell (ND) 146 (72-74); 31. (tie) Jordan Ferreira (ND) 150 (76-74); 50. (tie) Kari Bellville (ND) 153 (76-77); 54. (tie) Ashley Armstrong (ND) 154 (76-78); 75. (tie) Kelli Oride (ND) 159 (77-82).
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director