April 11, 2012
Providence, R.I. – Notre Dame freshman golfer Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill.) has been named the BIG EAST women’s golfer of the week for her performance at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the University of Georgia March 28-April 1.
Armstrong was Notre Dame’s top finisher as she tied for 13th, turning in a career-best 54-hole total of even-par 216 in the 90-player field. That helped the Irish to a 10th-place finish in a field of 18 teams that included 13 squads ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation.
The talented rookie opened the tournament with a even-par round of 72 on Friday, March 30 and followed that with a 70 in Saturday’s second round to move into a tie for ninth with four other golfers with a two-under par 142 through 36 holes. In the final round on Sunday, April 1, Armstrong finished with a two-over par 74 for her 216 total. That put her seven strokes behind the tournament winner, Jennifer Kirby of Alabama, who was seven-under par with a 209 total. In all, 14 golfers in the field finished with par or better scores on the University of Georgia Golf Course.
The tie for 13th was Armstrong’s best finish of her young career and she now has five top-25 finishes in eight tournaments this year. Her two rounds of 72 and 70 give her four rounds this season of par or better golf.
For the year, Armstrong has played a total of 23 rounds and is second on the team with a 75.74 stroke average.
Notre Dame returns to action on April 22 when the Irish compete in the 2012 BIG EAST Championship that will be held at the Reunion Resort and Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. The 54-hole tournament will run through Tuesday, April 24. The Irish are the defending BIG EAST Champions.