April 7, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Boilermaker Invitational
Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9, 2006
8 a.m. (ET) both days
Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex/Kampen Course West Lafayette, Ind.
Par 72/7,083 yards
One of the critical factors on any collegiate golf team’s NCAA postseason resume is its ability to perform well against other squads in its district. Notre Dame will have a golden opportunity to enhance its NCAA standing this weekend when it travels across the state to West Lafayette for the Boilermaker Invitational, to be contested on the difficult Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.
The vast majority of the 12-team field comes from the Midwest District, with the Irish having posted a 10-7 (.588) record against the rest of the district so far this season. Notre Dame also would like to add to its win total against ranked opponents, having toppled four top-25 foes this season after tacking No. 12 Tennessee onto that ledger at last week’s Administaff Augusta State Invitational.
The Irish continue to enjoy one of their most successful seasons ever in 2005-06, currently posting a school-record 293.96 stroke average with five top-six finishes in eight tournaments. Notre Dame also is poised to have three players finish with sub-74 stroke averages for the first time in the 77-year history of the program.
Quoting Coach Kubinski …
“We have a short turn around after returning from Augusta on Monday. The field at Purdue consists of several district teams, so it will be imperative for us to have a strong showing. Our NCAA destiny is certainly in our own hands.
“Cole (Isban) certainly played well in Augusta, as did Josh (Sandman), our freshman. We’ll need the two seniors (Mark Baldwin and Scott Gustafson) in the lineup to step up and each give us three solid rounds. We don’t necessarily need 68’s and 69’s as much as we need to avoid counting 77’s and 78’s.
“Adam Gifford will make his season debut for us at Purdue. The Plymouth (Ind.) native has a great deal of experience at the Kampen Course and has played well of late. He shot 70, second only to Cole’s 68, in Wednesday’s qualifying round. Adam drives it well and has a nice short game. I think he’ll give us a round or two at the very least. He should certainly give us a boost.
“The Purdue course is challenging. I’m assuming, considering the time of year, that the rough won’t be as deep as it normally is in the warmer months. Scoring should be reasonably good if the weather cooperates. We’re looking forward to some semi-home cooking after several weeks on the road. Hopefully, we’ll have a few Irish fans come down and support us. It should be a competitive weekend.”
Dates and Times
Teams will play two rounds (36 holes) on Saturday, with the opening round teeing off via a shotgun start at 8 a.m. (ET). The second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of round one. Competitors will then return to the course Sunday at 8 a.m. (ET) for the final round with preassigned tee times based upon the 36-hole standings.
Tournament Results
There will be no live scoring for this weekend’s Boilermaker Invitational. However, complete results following each day’s action will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). In addition, the latest information on the Irish is available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000). Callers should select option #9, then press #2 for the latest information on the tournament, as well as weather or scheduling delays.
The Tournament Format
A total of 12 five-man teams (60 participants, with the possibility of some teams fielding additional golfers on an individual basis) will be participating in the Boilermaker Invitational.
Conventional collegiate golf team scoring rules will apply, with the lowest four scores in the five-man lineup for each round counting toward the team total.
The Teams
Aside from Notre Dame and host school Purdue, the rest of the 12-team field for the Boilermaker Invitational includes: Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Toledo, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
According to the latest GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (released March 30), five of the 12 teams in this weekend’s field are either ranked or receiving votes. No. 25 Northwestern is the lone top-25 club coming to West Lafayette, while four other squads are receiving votes in the latest coaches’ survey – Minnesota (39 votes, 30th), Purdue (21 votes, tie-33rd), Louisville (10 votes, tie-41st) and Wichita State (one vote, tie-53rd).
Meanwhile, the newest ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index (as of April 2) have been compiled and four of the top 50 teams will be playing on the Kampen Course this weekend. Up front is No. 16 Minnesota, followed by 23rd-ranked Northwestern, No. 39 Purdue and No. 45 Louisville. Notre Dame is just outside the top 50, currently checking in 57th.
In addition, the latest Golfstat rankings of the 2005-06 season were unveiled Tuesday and there are four of this weekend’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 50. Minnesota tops the field at No. 17, with No. 26 Northwestern, No. 38 Purdue and 44th-ranked Louisville also in the running. Notre Dame is just outside the top 50 at No. 55.
The Course
The Boilermaker Invitational will be played on the Kampen Course (par 72/7,083 yards) at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. The Pete Dye-designed layout opened on June 28, 1998, and has played host to numerous championship-level tournaments, including the 2004 NCAA Men’s Golf Central Regional, 2003 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship and 2001 NCAA Women’s Golf Central Regional.
A History Lesson
Notre Dame will be making its 22nd appearance at a tournament hosted by Purdue (first since 2004) when the Irish participate in this weekend’s Boilermaker Invitational. The best finish for Notre Dame in 21 prior visits to West Lafayette came back in 1979, when head coach Noel O’Sullivan’s charges won the Purdue Invitational title and Tim Saurs took home medalist honors after carding a two-round total of 141.
The Irish also will return to the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex for the first time since May 2004, when Notre Dame took part in the NCAA Central Regional. The Irish finished 12th in the 27-team field with a score of 914 (+50), ending up only four shots away from advancing to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1966.
Tourney Rewind: ’04 Boilermaker Invitational Notre Dame fired a final-round 303 to place 15th at the Boilermaker Invitational, which was contested in West Lafayette, Ind., at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The Irish finished with a three-round total of 44-over par 908 (303-302-303), putting them 53 strokes behind tournament champion and host Purdue.
Scott Gustafson looked solid all weekend long, finishing with a final-round 73 to post a five-over par 221 (72-76-73) for the tournament. Cole Isban stumbled a bit on the final day, shooting a 78 to close in 60th place at 13-over par 229 (75-76-78). However, Tommy Balderston made up for Isban’s troubles with an even-par 72, the best final-round score by the Irish. He finished at 16-over par 232 (82-78-72), tied for 69th place with classmate Eric Deutsch, who opened with rounds of 78 and 74 before posting an 80 on his final circuit.
Mark Baldwin also had his difficulties during the final round, carding an 82 and winding up in 83rd place with a score of 20-over par 236 (78-76-82).
Measuring Stick
A good indication of the progress Notre Dame has made in the short time Jim Kubinski has been head coach can be found in the team’s stroke average. Currently at 293.96, it would shatter the old school record by more than four shots (298.29 in 1999-2000). In addition, the Irish presently have three players with stroke averages at 74.00 or lower (min. 10 rounds) – Mark Baldwin (73.00), Cole Isban (73.17) and Scott Gustafson (73.25). In the 77-year history of the Notre Dame program, the Irish have never had a trio score lower than 75.32 for an entire season (1999-2000 – Todd Vernon at 74.18, Steve Ratay at 74.54 and Alex Kent at 75.32).
One other item to watch is Notre Dame’s progress on a round-by-round basis in each tournament. This season, the Irish are averaging a 296 in their opening round before trimming that score to 293 in round two. Notre Dame has closed strong as well, firing a 292.28 on average this season.
Last Tournament – Administaff ASU Invitational Notre Dame shot a final-round 297 and moved up one spot to finish tied for 11th place at the powerful Administaff Augusta State Invitational, which concluded Sunday at the Champions Retreat Golf Club (par 72/7,265 yards) in Evans, Ga. The Irish ended up with a three-round total of 25-over par 889 (299-293-297), squaring them with old BIG EAST Conference rival Virginia Tech, and putting them six strokes clear of 12th-ranked Tennessee in the final standings. Coastal Carolina won the tournament with a 54-hole total of 10-under par 854.
Junior tri-captain Cole Isban was in the hunt for the individual title with a fourth-place tie heading into Sunday’s final round, but he finished tied for 13th overall at even-par 216 (74-67-75). Nevertheless, it was Isban’s second team-leading finish of the season, after he paced the Irish with a tie for medalist honors at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate back on Sept. 26-27 in Birmingham, Ala.
Freshman Josh Sandman wrapped up a solid college debut, tying for 25th place at three-over par 219 (74-71-74). Sandman, who was sidelined for much of the fall with a nagging back injury, was perhaps the most consistent Notre Dame golfer this weekend, and even carded an eagle on the fourth hole of his college career during Saturday’s opening round.
Senior tri-captains Scott Gustafson and Mark Baldwin each took home a share of 67th place with matching scores of 12-over par 228. Gustafson had the low round of the day for the Irish on Sunday with an even-par 72, following two rounds of 78 on Saturday. Meanwhile, Baldwin shot rounds of 73, 77 and 78 during his stay in Georgia – amazingly, Sunday’s 78 marked the first time in 21 rounds this season that Baldwin’s score did not count to the team total. Sophomore Mike King was the final Irish scorer, finishing 71st at 16-over par 232 (78-78-76).
Thumbnails On The Irish Lineup
Mark Baldwin (73.00; tied for first on team) – Has team-best 12 rounds of par or better this season (eight under par), with three rounds in the 60s … has ended up 20th or higher in 11 of past 16 events … has seen 42 of his last 46 rounds (.913) – and 20 of 21 this season – counted towards the team score (not counting 2005 CordeValle after team DQ) … has seven career top-10 finishes (three this year), with six of those coming in little more than one year (Oct. 2004-present) … two-time all-BIG EAST Conference (2003; 2005 – medalist). Cole Isban (73.17 stroke average; third on team) – Has recorded 10 rounds this year at par or better (eight under par), with team-best five rounds in the 60s … owns two top-10 finishes this season (10 career) … has been exceptionally reliable, as 87 of his 94 collegiate rounds (.926) have counted towards the team score (third-best percentage by Irish golfer since 1990) … career 74.30 stroke average is tops in school history (second: 74.43 by Charles Thurn, 1956-58) … 2005 PING/All-Midwest Region selection (first Irish player to earn regional or national accolades since 1980) … two-time all-BIG EAST honoree (2004, 2005). Scott Gustafson (73.25; fourth on team) – Has shot nine rounds at par or better (five below par with two in the 60s), standing third on team … 23 of 24 rounds (.958) this year have counted to team score … earned share of fifth place at General Jim Hackler Invitational (215, -1) for his ninth career top-10 finish and 14th team-leading finish (third in school history) … second among Irish veterans with 75.10 career stroke average (ninth in school history) … 2003 all-BIG EAST selection. Josh Sandman (73.00 stroke average; tied for first on team) – Freshman had strong college debut last weekend at Administaff Augusta State Invitational, tying for 25th place at 219 (+3) … also carded an eagle on fourth hole of opening round … missed fall season and early part of spring with back injury. Adam Gifford – Junior makes his season debut this weekend … has appeared in six tournaments as collegian, with two prior appearances on travel squad (both as freshman) … last tournament as member of Irish lineup came at 2004 Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational (tied-41st at 14-over par 230).
Next Up For The Irish
Notre Dame heads to Dade City, Fla., April 23-25 for the BIG EAST Conference Championship, to be held on the South Course at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club. The Irish are the two-time defending conference champions and have won five league titles since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96. Senior tri-captain Mark Baldwin also returns as tournament medalist and one of four two-time all-conference selections on the Irish roster – the others are senior Tommy Balderston, senior Eric Deutsch and junior tri-captain Cole Isban.