Sept. 13, 2012
-THE EVENT
2012 Tar Heel Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of North Carolina.
-THE LAYOUT
The UNC Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C. was recently named the No. 7 college golf course in America by The Golf Channel. Designed by George Cobb, the par-72 Finley Golf Course opened in 1949.
-KUBINSKI ON THE COURSE
“UNC has a very good golf course, one that will test the players from tee to green. It will probably be set up near 7,200 yards, so length will be a factor. It also looks like a miss left will be a tough one, controlling the ball is a real key for all players. For us, given this is our first test in a long season of tournaments, I’m looking to see us play with confidence and focus. If we maintain a great attitude and exhibit a strong mental game, we’ll have an opportunity to play well this weekend and build a foundation for the schedule ahead.”
-THREE IN TWO
The Tar Heel Intercollegiate will be a 54-hole stroke play event contested over two days. Two 18-hole rounds will be held Saturday, with the final 18 holes being played on Sunday. Tee times begin at 7:40 a.m. each day off the No. 1 and No. 10 tees.
-DEEP AND TALENTED FIELD
The Tar Heel Invitational will play host to a 14-team field. The following schools will be represented: Boston College (ACC), No. 21 Duke (ACC), No. 34 East Carolina (C-USA), East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun), Furman (SoCon), Gardner Webb (Big South), Maryland (ACC), North Carolina State (ACC), North Carolina (ACC), Charlotte (Atlantic 10), UNC Greensboro (SoCon), UNC Wilmington (Colonial), Notre Dame (BIG EAST) and Virginia Commonwealth (Atlantic 10).
-STARTING FOR THE IRISH…
The Notre Dame starting five will consist of: senior Paul McNamara III, junior Niall Platt, junior Andrew Lane, sophomore Tyler Wingo, and sophomore David Lowe.
-TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Live scoring will be available on www.Golfstat.com and www.GoHeels.com. Results will also be posted on the UND Athletic Department Web site (www.und.com) as soon as possible at the conclusion of each round.
-LOOKING AHEAD
Notre Dame travels to New Haven, Conn. to compete in the Macdonald Cup (Sept. 29-30) at the Yale University Golf Club.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team begins its second straight defense of the BIG EAST Conference Championship this weekend at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate in Chapel Hill, N.C. Hosted by the University of North Carolina, the tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday on the par-72, 7,242-yard UNC Finley Golf Course.
“We’re looking forward to the start of a new season, with the goal of building on our strong showing at NCAA’s in May,” said head coach Jim Kubinski. “It’s especially exciting, and somewhat fitting, that we’re kicking it off in Chapel Hill this year, given the announcement of our future move to the ACC.”
The Tar Heel Intercollegiate will feature standard collegiate scoring with a five-count-four format. Each school will start a five-golfer rotation, with the best four scores during each round counting toward the team’s final score.
After losing standout seniors Max Scodro, Tom Usher and Chris Walker to graduation, the Fighting Irish will rely on a collection of new faces as they try to win a third straight conference championship.
“We’ll have three new starters in our lineup this week in junior Andrew Lane (Fairport, N.Y.) and sophomores Tyler Wingo (Fairfax, Va.) and David Lowe (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Their energy and excitement for the opportunity should provide a nice boost to the returning starters, senior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) and junior Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.),” Kubinski said. “All five played well in our qualifying rounds these last two weeks. Four posted a round of 67 in that span and Niall finished up one qualifier in 67-65-67. They’ve played well in preparation.”
Platt enjoyed a successful summer schedule, winning the prestigious Southern California Golf Association Match Play Championship and finishing in the top-10 at the SCGA Amateur Championship, the Sahalee Players Championship and the Pacific Northwest Amateur. Platt posted a 73.81 scoring average last season, the best among returning Notre Dame players, and had a runner-up finish at the 2012 Battle at the Warren.
McNamara ended 2011-12 with a pair of top-5 finishes, highlighted by a fifth-place result at the BIG EAST Championship. McNamara posted five top-25s last season, tied with Platt for second on the team behind the 10 of Scodro.
Lane logged 14 rounds as a sophomore last season, highlight by a 20th-place result at the Battle at the Warren. Lane fired a season-low 70 on two occasions, during the second round of the FIGGC and the third round of the Schenkel Invite.
Wingo made three appearances as a true freshman in 2011-12, and had his best showing at The Match Play, posting a 3-1 record. Wingo’s top stroke play finish was a tie for 24th at the Battle at the Warren.
Lowe enters his first season as a member of the Fighting Irish after transferring to Notre Dame from Arizona State University. Lowe compiled a 75.11 stroke average in nine starts for the Sun Devils as a true freshman, and shot a season-low 69 in the final round of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
–ND–