Feb. 28, 2016
By Claire Kramer
TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team is in 10th place after the first round of the National Invitational Tournament, hosted by the University of Arizona. The Irish combined for a one-over par 289 performance in Sunday’s first round, and were paired with the teams from Colorado State University and Santa Clara University.
Freshman Ben Albin led the Irish with a two-under par 70, and is currently tied for ninth. Albin recorded four birdies on the day, shooting even par on the front nine and two-under on the back. He is two strokes off the top four on the individual leaderboard.
Albin is followed for the Irish by junior Blake Barens, who recorded a one-under par 71, and is currently tied for 19th overall with nine other players. During Sunday’s round, Barens was paired with the current tournament leader, Hayden Shieh of Santa Clara University(10-under par 62).
Junior Matthew Rushton and freshman Kevin Conners both shot two-over par 74’s on Sunday, and are tied for 45th overall. Rushton came back from a double bogey on the second hole with three birdies on the front and one on the back. Conners was consistent throughout, with 11 pars and 2 birdies.
Lastly, freshman Miguel Delgado shot an 8-over par 80 on Sunday.
The Irish will look to improve upon their 10th-place standing during the remainder of the tournament. Notre Dame is 11 shots off the lead, currently shared by Santa Clara University and the University of Nevada at 10-under par.
Notre Dame will tee off the back nine early Monday, with the first tee times starting at 8:00 MST. The Irish will be paired with Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Texas at El Paso.
The Irish will look to climb the leaderboard, as the Irish are seven shots out of the top three teams. Live scoring will be provided by BirdieFire.
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Claire Kramer is a sophomore student assistant for Fighting Irish Media, working closely with the Athletics Communications Directors for the men’s golf, basketball and football programs. An American Studies major with a minor in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, Kramer is from Olathe, Kansas.