Oct. 31, 2011
DALLAS, Texas – Aided by an opening day 140, -2 by Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.), the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team sits in 11th after 36 holes of play Monday at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate at the Royal Oaks Country Club.
“We are a heck of a team, but we keep getting in our own way right now,” said Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “We turn three or four under into a few over better than any team. We hit more good shots today than I’ve seen in awhile, which is a positive sign. We also put too much pressure on ourselves at times. We’re trying too hard to control our results rather than playing golf and letting the scores come. We are getting close.”
Texas A&M leads the tournament by six strokes after firing a 551 (-17), while Duke (558, -10) and Augusta State (560, -8) are in second and third, respectively. Individually, Jordan Russell of Texas A&M leads after putting together a 133 (-9), with Lamar’s MJ Daffue (135, -7) and Houston’s James Ross (135, -7) in second and third, respectively.
Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) concluded his morning round tied for 33rd after registering an opening 72 (+1). After playing his opening six holes of play at one under, Platt concluded his final 12 with one more birdie, three bogeys and nine pars. The sophomore then went on to post a 68 (-3) in his second round of play to jump into a tie for 10th in the 78-member field. Platt played the back nine at even par (36) with nine consecutive pars, before posting four birdies and only one bogey on the front nine to finish with a 32 (-3). For the day, Platt finished at two under par (140).
Senior Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed a relatively routine morning round, posting four birdies and 13 pars to go along with only one bogey to card a 68 (-3). He played the back nine at two under par (34), while completing the front nine at one under (35) to finish tied for fifth after 18 holes of play. His second round got off to a bit of a rocky start, as he played his first nine holes six over before finishing the final nine holes at two under to conclude the day at 143 (+1) after an afternoon 75 (+4). Overall, Scodro is tied for 28th.
Senior Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) played his most consistent round of golf on the fall during his morning round, recording a team-leading 14 pars along with one birdie and three bogeys. An identical 73 awaited Walker in his afternoon round, as he notched three birdies, three bogeys, one double bogey and 11 pars. After 36 holes of play, Walker is tied for 45th at 146 (+4).
Much like Walker, senior Tom Usher (Baildon, England) played steady golf to begin his tournament. He marked down 13 pars to go along with one birdie and four bogeys to place tied for 53rd heading into second-round action. While his afternoon, round saw him post only nine pars, Usher improved on his morning score by one shot after carding a 73 (+2). With his opening day 147 (+5), Usher is tied for 50th.
“It was great to have Niall back to form,” state Kubinski. “He played exceptionally well. It was also good to see Chris and Tom show good signs. We can move up for a good finish if we let it go tomorrow. We have to allow good things to happen. We just need to get over the hump. This team can take off with just a little momentum going our way.”
Junior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), who has enjoyed a productive fall to-date, struggled to find his rhythm in his opening day of competition. After opening with an first round 82 (+10), McNamara posted an afternoon 79 (+8). Neither of the two rounds counted toward the team score and after Monday’s play he is tied for 77th at 160 (+18).
The Irish take to the course Tuesday for the final round of play in the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. Tee times begin at 9:30 a.m. (CT) off a split tee start from holes one and 10. The Irish will play alongside Iowa and Missouri with the first of their five pairings starting at 10:50 a.m. off of the 10th hole.
For live hole-by-hole scoring of the final round of play please visit golfstat.com and for a complete recap of the Irish as they put the bow on their fall docket check back with und.com following play.
Royal Oaks Intercollegiate - Royal Oaks Country Club - Par 71, 7,068 yards
Top-Five Team Scores (36 holes complete):1. Texas A&M 551 -172. Duke 558 -103. Augusta State 560 -84. Oklahoma 561 -75. Baylor 567 -1
Top-Six Individual Scores (36 holes complete):1. Jordan Russell, Texas A&M 133 -9T2. MJ Daffue, Lamar 135 -7T2. James Ross, Houston 135 -74. Spencer Anderson, Duke 136 -6T5. Luke Jerling, Lamar 138 -4T5. Riley Pumphrey, Oklahoma 138 -4
Notre Dame Results (36 holes complete):11. NOTRE DAME 576 +8T10. Niall Platt 140 -2T28. Max Scodro 143 +1T45. Chris Walker 146 +4T50. Tom Usher 147 +5T77. Paul McNamara III 160 +18
–ND–