Sept. 27, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend to compete in the 21-team Wolverine Invitational at the University of Michigan Golf Course (par 72, 6,700 yards). The tournament, originally scheduled for 54 holes (18 holes over three days) will now be a 36-hole tournament with 18 holes on Friday, Sept. 28 and 18 on Sunday, Sept. 30. Saturday’s day of play was cancelled due to the rescheduling of the Michigan-Illinois football game from Sept. 15.
Irish head coach John Jasinski will send a lineup of two seniors, one junior and two freshmen to Ann Arbor in hopes of getting his team on the right track after last week’s 19th place finish at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational at Ball State.
Steve Ratay (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Chris Whitten (Rockford, Mich.) are the seniors who will play this weekend. Ratay fired a 54-hole total of 226 last weekend and is second among the Irish with a 75.33 average. Whitten was Notre Dame’s top finisher with a six-over par 222 total, the best 54-hole total of his career. His second round 72 was also the single best round of his career with the Irish. He leads the team with a 74.00 average.
Freshmen Steve Colnitis (Baldwin, Md.) is the third player who played last weekend, firing a 230 total in his first collegiate action for a 76.67 average.
Making their first appearances this fall are junior Brandon Lunke (San Antonio, Tex.) and freshman Ryan Marshall (Marco Island, Fla.). Lunke, a 2000-01 monogram winner, played in six tournaments last season and turned in a 76.61 average. For his career he owns a 76.65 average. Marshall is one of three freshmen on the Irish squad and will be making his first collegiate appearance this weekend.
Also appearing in the 2001 Wolverine Invitational are teams from the Air Force Academy, Akron, Ball State, Baylor, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, the University of West Florida, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin and Xavier.
Last fall, the University of Minnesota was the team champion and the Gophers’ Wilhelm Schauman was the tournament medalist.
Action begins on Friday, Sept. 28th with the first tee times set for 9:00 a.m. Sunday’s start times are scheduled for 8:00 a.m.