Oct. 25, 2016
By Leigh Torbin
VERO BEACH, Fla. — Competing in a strong field with five of GolfStat’s top 50 teams among the 15 members, the Notre Dame men’s golf team wrapped up the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational by placing 13th at the par-72, 7,350-yard Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida.
Notre Dame finished Tuesday’s final round with a 292 (+4), leaving the Irish with a 54-hole score of 878 (+14) for the event. No. 43 Michigan State claimed the title with a 835 (-29), two strokes ahead of No. 37 North Florida’s 837 (-27).
Player of the Day
Miguel Delgado paced the Irish for the day at a two-under-par 70 which also allowed him to become Notre Dame’s top finisher in the event, slipping past teammate Blake Barens by a single stroke with a 214 (-2). Beginning his shotgun start round with a birdie on 15, Delgado would claim four birdies on the day overall, including a birdie on 14 (his final hole), only losing ground to a double bogey on 18.
Notre Dame’s Lineup
There were no individuals in this event so the Irish, as with the other competing schools, just had their primary five players in action.
T21. Miguel Delgado (70-74-70=214, -2)
T24. Blake Barens (72-71-72=215, -1)
T61. Matthew Rushton (75-74-76=225, +9)
T67. Ben Albin (74-76-76=226, +10)
75. Thomas Steve (78-83-74=235, +19)
Impressive Front Nine of Season
The first half of Notre Dame’s season was a successful one, with the Irish claiming three individual medalist honors, two team titles and a winning percentage of .560. In six events, the Irish saw six different golfer finish as the team’s top player. This depth, series of solid team showings, and the training facilities at the Warren Golf Course’s clubhouse will benefit the Irish when they return to competitive action in February.
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Leigh Torbin, athletics communications associate director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2013 and coordinates all media efforts for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball and men’s golf teams. A native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Torbin graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He has previously worked full-time on the athletic communications staffs at Vanderbilt, Florida, Connecticut and UCF.