Oct. 10, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team will begin its fourth tournament of the fall when the squad tees it up at The Prestige at PGA WEST from Sunday-Tuesday (Oct. 11-13). The tournament, taking place from the Stadium Course at PGA WEST in La Quinta, Calif., will feature a talented 14-team field.
The Irish will look to continue its streak of top six results for the fourth straight tournament after earning top-six finishes at the Gopher Invitational (6th), the Mason Rudolph Championship (5th) and the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic (1st).
THE COMPETITION: The 2009 Prestige At The PGA WEST will play host to a 14-team field, including five teams ranked in the top 40 of the Golfstat rankings and three teams in the top 25. Teams competing in the tournament include (Golfstat rankings from 10.7.09 in parentheses): Hawaii (213), Long Beach State, Notre Dame (38), Pepperdine (63), San Diego (81), USC (12), Stanford (8), Stanford “B”, TCU (27), UC Davis (74), UCF (70), UCLA, Washington (4), Vanderbilt.
THE PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST: The 2009 Prestige at The PGA WEST will be the 10th edition of the storied tournaments history. Last season, the tournament title was captured by TCU, who posted a three-under par for the 54 holes. TCU’s Johan de Beer shared the individual crown with Nate Pistacchio of UC-Davis, as both golfers turned in six-under par scores. Overall, UCLA has captured the most titles at the venue, securing three straight titles from 2003-05.
The Irish will head to the Prestige for the fifth time. In its previous four appearances, Notre Dame has earned top 10 results on each trip with its high-water mark coming in the 2005 tournament, as it earned a tie for fifth place with an 880 (+16). Individually, Cole Isban is the highest finisher for the Irish as he concluded the 2004 tournament in second place (two shots out of first) with a final total of 219 (+3).
Kubinski on the 2009 Prestige at PGA WEST…
“We’re excited to head out to California again this weekend. We’ve enjoyed success over the last few years in the Golden State. The Prestige is always a first class event, one of the very best in college golf. This year we’re moving from the Norman Course at PGA West to the PGA West Stadium Course.
FORMAT: Each team’s lineup will be comprised of five golfers with the lowest four scores for each round counting towards the overall team score. The tournament will span three days (Sunday-Tuesday, October 11-13).
LINEUP: The Irish will send out the same lineup that helped them capture the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic title, as Josh Sandman, Doug Fortner, Connor Alan-Lee, Max Scodro and Chris Walker have been chosen to represent Notre Dame at the Prestige.
Kubinski on the chosen lineup…
“Coming off our win at home, we’ll employ the same lineup again this weekend. Josh, Doug and Connor are returning to the Prestige. Each has played very good rounds out there in the past, even if on the Norman Course previously. They’re certainly comfortable in the desert, as are Max and Chris, our sophomores. Both Max and Chris have spent a great deal of time in the Scottsdale, AZ area, which offers a similar feel to golf in and around La Quinta (CA).”
RESULTS: Live in-progress scoring will be available on the Internet at the Golfstat web site (www.golfstat.com). Daily recaps will be posted on und.com
LAST TIME OUT: Notre Dame earned its first tournament win of the 2009-10 campaign by capturing the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic for the first time in the tournaments five-year history. The team was able to end the 54-hole tournament at +30 (870) to hold off the second place Ohio State Buckeyes (+34/874). The win took the Irish to the podium for the first time since the team captured the 2005-06 BIG EAST Conference championship.
Notre Dame was able to earn a medal sweep, as Josh Sandman (+2, 212) was able to hang on to defeat Kevin Hesbois of Lamar (+4,/214). The win for Sandman is the first of his Notre Dame career, besting his previous best result, which was a second-place tie at the 2005-06 Boilermaker Invitational (+4/220). It is also the first individual title an Irish golfer has won since Max Scodro earned a tie for first at the 2008-09 UNCG Bridgestone Championship.
Kubinski on team’s confidence after winning the FIGGC…
“There’s no question we have a lot of confidence right now. I think we’ll avoid any let down as well [when heading to the PGA West]. We mostly rested the last couple of days after expending a great deal of mental and emotional energy in our home tournament. We’ll get back to work on Saturday in La Quinta and be prepared for the three-day tournament. We’ve played well so far this season but, whether it’s this week or an upcoming week, our best golf is in front of us. We can be a very good team, especially when we get multiple players on top of their game at the same time. It’s an exciting prospect for us.”
NEXT UP: The two-day UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate Championship will be next up for the Irish. The tournament will take place on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 24-25) from the Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
— ND —