Oct. 18, 1999
INDIANAPOLIS – The Notre Dame women’s golf team used one of the best rounds in team history to vault atop the team standings Monday following first-round action at the Butler Invitational.
The Irish posted a first-round score of 311 at the par-71, 5,847-yard Saddlebrook Golf Club and hold a 14-stroke cushion on Xavier heading into Tuesday’s second and final round.
Junior Mary Klein (Kokomo, Ind./Northwestern HS) posted the second-best round of her career and stands second in the field of 59 golfers, after an opening-round 72. Xavier’s Paula Greening leads the individual competition after carding a one-under 70.
Junior Shane Smith (77) turned in another strong round for the Irish while freshman Priscilla Ro and junior Kristin McMurtrie continued their solid falls with matching first-round 81s. The Irish could have posted an even bigger first-round margin in the play-five, count-four format but were unable to count the 78 posted by sophomore Lauren Fuchs-who was playing as an individual entrant.
Freshman Terry Taibl posted a 90 in her first action with the Irish starting five while junior Becca Schloss turned in an 83 as an individual entrant.
Klein’s 72 ties for the fourth-best round in Notre Dame women’s golf history and she joins 1999 graduate Katie King as the only Irish golfers ever to shoot 72 or better in two-plus career rounds (King had a one-under 71 and two 72s in her career). Klein shot a three-under 71 in the first round of the Indiana Invitational in the spring of 1998.
Klein needs to shoot 76 or better on Tuesday to best the Notre Dame record for a 36-hole tournament, set by King at the Midwest Classic in the spring of ’98 (five-over 149).
Another 1999 graduate, Tracy Melby, holds the Irish record for best 36-hole tournament score in relation to par, with a two-over 152 at the 1998 Illinois Spring Classic. Klein would need to shoot even-par or better on Tuesday to break Melby’s record.
Notre Dame needs to shoot 316 or lower on Tuesday to post the second-best 36-hole tournament score in team history, with the record of 607 (+31) set at the Midwest Classic in the spring of 1998.
TEAM STANDINGS (18 holes of 36): 1. Notre Dame 311, 2. Xavier 325, 3. Butler 330, 4. Loyola 333, Western Michigan 333, 6. Youngstown State 344, 7. Xavier-B 346, 8. Eastern Illinois 348, 9. Oakland 353, 10. Butler-B 394, Franklin 384.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 59): 1. Paula Greening (XAV) 70, 2. Mary Klein (ND) 72, 3. Melissa Beck (XAV) 76, 4. Shane Smith (ND) 77, 5. Lauren Fuchs (ND, indiv.) 78, 6. Kristi Laskowski (BUT) 79, 7. Stephanie Matasak (YOUNG) 80, Erica Bleniek (WMU) 80.
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES: 9. Priscilla Ro 81, 9. Kristin McMurtrie 81, 18. Becca Schloss (indiv.) 83, 36. Terry Taibl 90.