NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Fighting Irish women’s golf team heads to historic Medinah Country Club to continue its fall season at the 2019 Illini Women’s Invitational on Monday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 8
The 15-team field will take on Medinah’s Course No. 2 (Par 72; 6,159 yards). Medinah has played host to five major championships on the No. 3 course including three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975 and 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999 and 2006) as well as the 2012 Ryder Cup.
The Fighting Irish will use the same starting lineup as its last tournament, the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic, which featured junior Abby Heck, sophomore Claire Albrecht as well as freshmen Lauren Beaudreau, Madelyn Jones and Jessica Meyers.
The 2019 Illini Women’s Invitational
Dates: October 7-8, 2019
Format: 54 holes (36 holes on Monday, 18 holes on Tuesday)
Tee Times: 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday, 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday (shotgun start both days)
Location: Medinah, Illinois
Course (Par/Yardage): Medinah Country Club Course No. 2 (Par 72; 6,159 yards)
Tournament Field (15): Augusta, Illinois, Indiana, Kennesaw State, Kent State, Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Purdue, San Jose State, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Wisconsin.
Notre Dame Lineup: Lauren Beaudreau (1), Madelyn Jones (2), Claire Albrecht (3), Abby Heck (4), Jessica Meyers (5). In addition, Mia Ayer will compete as an individual.
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Twitter: @NDwomensGolf
Career Best Rounds (most recent occurence listed)
- Claire Albrecht: 72 (second round of the 2019 Minnesota Invitational)
- Mia Ayer: 71 (second round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic)
- Lauren Beaudreau: 66 (second round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic)
- Abby Heck: 66 (third round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic)
- Madelyn Jones: 69 (second round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic)
- Jessica Meyers: 74 (third round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic)
Noting The 2019 Fall Season …
- The Irish opened the season with a 10th-place finish at the rain shortened Minnesota Invitational (Sept. 9-10).
- Lauren Beaudreau (73-74=147) was the top Fighting Irish finisher at Minnesota, tying for 25th.
- Next, the Irish placed 14th at the Schooner Fall Classic (Sept. 27-29).
- With a final round 66, Abby Heck tied for seventh at the Schooner Fall Classic — her second career top-10 finish.
- Heck’s other top-10 showing came at last season’s 2019 Moon Golf Invitational at the Duran Golf Club when she placed second. Heck’s previous career low round was a 68, also shot at the 2019 Moon Golf Invitational.
- The 66 tied Heck with five other golfers, including freshman Lauren Beaudreau who shot a 66 in the second round of the 2019 Schooner Fall Classic, for the second-lowest round in program history (stroke total).
Folds Of Honor
- The Fighting Irish women’s golf program has teamed up with the Folds of Honor Military Tribute Program (FHMTP) for the 2019-20 season.
- The program provides the opportunity for collegiate golf teams to honor a fallen or severely wounded American soldier by selecting a student-athlete to carry a golf bag displaying the name, rank and branch of service of the soldier being honored throughout the year.
- Fighting Irish senior Mia Ayer will have the honor of carrying Notre Dame’s FHMTP golf bag for the 2019-20 season, which honors the memory of Captain Reid Nishizuka ’05.
- Reid Nishizuka, a U.S. Air Force Captain, died in service to his country on April 27, 2013, near Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Reid was a recipient of 10 Air Medals, two Air Force Commendation Medals, two Air Force Achievement Medals and a Bronze Star for Heroism.
- Throughout the season, the Notre Dame women’s golf team will also raise funds with the proceeds benefiting the Folds of Honor (FOH).
- Through scholarships and other assistance, Folds of Honor gives back to the spouses and children of soldiers killed or disabled in service to our country
- Details of Notre Dame’s fundraising efforts will be released as the season progresses.
Campbell Posts Runner-Up Showing At The 2019 Women’s Mid-Am
- Program alumna Talia Campbell ’16 put together quite the run at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at the Forest Highlands Golf Club, Flagstaff, Arizona, advancing to the championship match (September 14-19).
- In the end, Campbell was bested by Ina Kim-Schaad to earn runner-up honors at the 33rd playing of the prestigious USGA championship.
- Campbell currently resides in New York City where she is a private equity investment professional focusing on mergers and acquisitions and leveraged buyouts.
- A team captain at Notre Dame in 2015-16, Campbell earned All-ACC honors as a junior and senior and she also shared co-medalist honors at the 2013 BIG EAST Championship as a freshman and was voted a unanimous all-BIG EAST selection.
- An All-ACC Academic Team honoree in her three seasons in the league, she was named the Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP following her senior season. She also earned Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America Scholar honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Notre Dame Under Coach Holt
- Head Coach Susan Holt is in her 14th season leading the Fighting Irish in 2019-20.
- Under Holt, Notre Dame made the first NCAA Championship berth in program history (2011), won four Conference Championships and also has made 10 NCAA regional appearances.
- A six-time conference Coach of the Year, Holt has seen 34 of her players earn NGCA/WGCA All-Scholar Team honors, while 46 of her players have earned conference all-academic team honors (BIG EAST and ACC).
- Holt has also helped the team lower its season stroke average by more than 10 strokes since she arrived on the scene in 2006.
- Holt recruited and coached Notre Dame’s first LPGA Tour member, Becca Huffer, who played on the tour during the 2019-20 season and Notre Dame’s career stroke average leader Emma Albrecht ’19.
New Faces
- Three freshmen have joined the Irish for the 2019-20 season, including Lauren Beaudreau (Lemont, Illinois/Benet Academy), Madelyn Jones (Austin, Texas/Westlake High School) and Jessica Meyers (Wexford, Pennsylvania/Oakland Catholic High School).
- Following the 2018-19 season, four-year mainstays Emma Albrecht, Isabella DiLisio and Maddie Rose Hamilton each graduated.
— ND —