Sept. 16, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team capped off one of the finest team performances in school history with a six-shot win at the Cougar Classic, which was completed Tuesday at the Yeamans Hall Golf Course in Hanahan, S.C. The Irish led virtually the entire way in the 54-hole tournament and wound up setting a school-record with a team score of 25-over par 889 (285-304-300), shattering the old mark by 43 strokes (932 at the 2002 Adidas Fall Invitational). It was Notre Dame’s first tournament championship on the road since the 2001 William & Mary Invitational, and it was made all the more sweeter by the fact that six of the teams the Irish defeated were NCAA regional qualifiers last season.
Individual records also were plentiful for Notre Dame during its trip to the Palmetto State. Coming into the two-day competition, the school record for the lowest 54-hole score by an individual was 224, set by Alicia Murray at the 1994 Indiana Invitational. Nearly a decade later, not one, but three Irish players topped Murray’s mark, led by freshman Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill./Hoffman Estates HS), who fired a school-record 217 (69-72-76) to finish second overall. Senior co-captain Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove HS) and sophomore Katie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) carded matching scores of 223 to wind up in a tie for seventh place in the individual standings.
Freshman Stacy Brown (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) helped clinch the team title for Notre Dame, registering a final-round 74 to earn a 25th-place tie at 229 (72-83-74). Junior Karen Lotta (Los Angeles, Calif./Marymount HS) completed the five-player Irish lineup, finishing tied for 48th place at 237 (78-80-79).
In the team competition, Notre Dame began the final round tied for first place with BIG EAST Conference rival Miami (Fla.) at 13-over par 589. However, the Hurricanes faded on the final day and were overtaken by 2003 NCAA regional qualifer Furman, which wound up in second place at 895 (294-300-301). Miami was third at 897 (296-293-308), with North Carolina State (299-302-307=908) and Mississippi (301-302-307=910) rounding out the top five.
The Irish won’t have much time to enjoy their tournament title as they are back in action Saturday and Sunday at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. The 54-hole event will be held at the Forest Akers West Golf Course and will feature a field of 15 teams from around the Midwest.
— ND —
FINAL TEAM RESULTS (54-hole totals): 1. NOTRE DAME 889 (285-304-300); 2. Furman 895 (294-300-301); 3. Miami (Fla.) 897 (296-293-308); 4. North Carolina State 908 (299-302-307); 5. Mississippi 910 (301-302-307); 6. College of Charleston 916 (299-309-308); 7. Campbell 919 (304-304-311); 8. East Carolina 922 (304-307-311); 9. Virginia 924 (306-310-308); 10. Louisville 925 (305-299-321); 11. South Florida 932 (308-312-312); 12. Kentucky 940 (319-310-311); 13. Penn State 943 (314-311-318); 14. Maryland 961 (322-316-323); 15. Richmond 969 (326-321-322); 16. Cincinnati 992 (333-336-323); 17. Appalachian State 997 (322-342-333).
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 1. Tina Miller (Miami, Fla.) 214 (70-69-75); 2. Noriko Nakazaki (Notre Dame) 217 (69-72-76); 3. Jenny Suh (Furman) 218 (72-76-70); 4. (tie) Sapna Patel (College of Charleston) 220 (70-75-75) and Jade Polonich (Mississippi) 220 (69-74-77); 6. Briana Vega (North Carolina State) 221 (76-73-72); 7. (tie) Katie Brophy (Notre Dame) 223 (74-73-76) and Shannon Byrne (Notre Dame) 223 (70-79-74); 9. (tie) Connor Atkinson (Furman) 224 (74-74-76) and Rachel Smith (Virginia) 224 (72-76-76).
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 2. Noriko Nakazaki 217 (69-72-76); 7. (tie) Katie Brophy 223 (74-73-76) and Shannon Byrne 223 (70-79-74); 25. (tie) Stacy Brown 229 (72-83-74); 48. (tie) Karen Lotta 237 (78-80-79).