May 21, 2011
NCAA Florida Regional Final Stats
OCALA, Fla. – A five-under par round by Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) helped the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team to a ninth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Florida Regional on Saturday at the Golden Ocala Golf Course. The Irish finished the tournament at one over par (865) after a final-day total of 287 (-1).
“We knew we needed a low round today,” said Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “We thought heading out today that 278 would do it and, as it turned out, it would have. We just needed to finish off a round. All three days we had it between -4 and -7 before or just after the turn, only to give it up.
“It was disappointing to give back several shots all three days but our guys battled their hearts out,” Kubinski continued. “We had a lineup of NCAA rookies and we showed we can compete. I’m proud of what we accomplished this season. We won tournaments, captured the BIG EAST title and set an all-time scoring record for our school. We took a giant step forward and our kids should be proud. I think it also will make us even hungrier for next season.”
Several individual and team records fell for the Irish at the Florida Regional, including the lowest 54-hole team score. Notre Dame improved on the previous-best mark by 12 shots with its 865 score, taking down the 877 total that was posted back in 2005. The final-round total of 287 also is the second-lowest single-round score, bested only by the 282 third-round performance in ’05.
McNamara put together a near-flawless round on his final 18 holes, carding six birdies with only one bogey on the par-four 17th hole. After playing the back nine at two under (34), the sophomore improved on that mark by one shot on the front nine, finishing at 33 (-3). Overall, McNamara pulled back to even par (216) for the tournament, which was good for a share of 24th place.
For McNamara, the final round 67 marks the lowest round of his Irish career, while also going into the Notre Dame record books as the lowest single-round score posted in NCAA competition since the format switched to stroke-play scoring. The previous record of 68 had been shot three times, including in the first round of the ’11 Florida Regional by freshman Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.). The 216 (E) 54-hole score also is McNamara’s lowest three-round tournament score, besting the 218 (+2) he posted at the ’10 St. Mary’s Invitational.
Platt, meanwhile, concluded the most successful 54-hole tournament for a Notre Dame golfer since the NCAA changed to a 54-hole format in 1989. The freshman ended his tournament at six under (210) after carding a final-round score of 73 (+1), which placed him in a tie for 10th overall. Platt bested the previous Irish mark by five shots, which was set by Eric Deutsch back in ’05. The tie for 10th also goes down as the highest individual finish for an Irish competitor, improving on Deutsch’s tie for 20th in the ’05 regional.
Jeff Chen (Walnut, Calif.) concluded his final season with the Irish and first taste of NCAA competition as the third-best finisher of the rotation. The senior carded a 74 (+2) in his final round, which saw him record three birdies and five bogeys, to wrap up his tournament at 219 (+3). He finished in a tie for 33rd amongst the field.
“I was so proud of Paul,” said Kubinski. “He played with his heart. He played confidently and decisively; really trusting himself. That’s a major step for him. To shoot a 67 in this environment was phenomenal. I’m also happy for Niall, who earned a top 10 finish as a freshman and Jeff for closing out his college career with three solid rounds. It really was a great effort.”
Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) ended his tournament with the best of his three rounds coming on the final day. The junior carded eight pars along with five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey to post a 73 (+1). For the tournament, Scodro finished in a tie for 50th place at seven over par (223).
Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) joined Scodro in the tie for 50th after recording his second-straight round of 74 (+2) to finish at 223 (+7) overall. The junior played his most consistent round of the tournament, tallying 12 pars along with two birdies and four bogeys.
The host Florida Gators pulled away on the final day to secure its berth into the NCAA Championship, finishing at 18 under par (846) after shooting 11 under par (277) on Saturday. Augusta State finished second at 12 under par (852), while the final three teams to qualify for the NCAA Championship were Kennesaw State (-11, 853), North Carolina State (-9, 855) and Arkansas (-8, 856).
Individually, Jace Long of Missouri used a final-round 62 (-9) to climb into a three-way tie for medalist honors with Patrick Reed of Augusta State and Mitchell Sutton of North Carolina State at 206 (-10). Long qualifies as an individual participant in the NCAA Championship after finishing as the highest individual on a non-qualifying team.
The Irish season officially comes to a close with the squad finishing their season with an overall record of 86-32 (.729).
NCAA Florida Regional - Golden Ocala Golf Course, Par 72 - 6,994 yards
Top-Five Team Scores (54-hole totals):1. Florida 846 -182. Augusta State 852 -123. Kennesaw State 853 -114. N.C. State 855 -95. Arkansas 856 -8
Top-Five Golfers (54-hole totals):T1. Mitchell Sutton, N.C. State 206 -10T1. Patrick Reed, Augusta State 206 -10T1. Jace Long, Missouri 206 -104. Andres Echavarria, Florida 207 -95. Rhys West, Southeastern La. 208 -8
Notre Dame Scores (54-hole totals):T10. Niall Platt 210 -6T24. Paul McNamara III 216 ET33. Jeff Chen 219 +3T50. Chris Walker 223 +7T50. Max Scodro 223 +7
–ND–