Sept. 9, 2008
DALY CITY, Calif. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team wrapped up its first tournament of the 2008-09 season on Tuesday afternoon, posting a 10th-place finish at the USF Olympic Club Intercollegiate, played on the renowned Olympic Club Lake Course (par 71/6,855 yards) in Daly City, Calif. The Irish carded a three-round total of 37-over par 889 (298-299-292) to finish 28 shots back of tournament champion California in the 15-team field.
Sophomore Tyler Hock (Ocala, Fla./Forest) earned his third team-best finish (and third top-20 outing) in seven events with the Notre Dame starting five, tying for 16th place in the 78-man field at five-over par 218 (72-73-73). Hock had four birdies in Tuesday’s final round, countering four bogeys, and he was at level-par through 16 holes, but a double-bogey 6 on Olympic’s seventh hole (his 17th of the day) put him back in the black.
California’s Michael Jensen and Colorado’s Derek Tolan shared medalist honors at even-par 213.
Sophomore Jeff Chen (Walnut, Calif./Los Altos) saved his best score for the final round, closing with a 72 to rise into a 32nd-place tie at nine-over par 222 (74-76-72). Chen, who was making his debut with the Irish travel squad, sank a pair of late birdies and just missed his career-low round of 71, which he set twice last season.
Sophomore Connor Alan-Lee (Solana Beach, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School) and junior Doug Fortner (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) also moved up the individual standings on Tuesday, ending up in a tie for 46th place at 13-over par 226. Alan-Lee posted rounds of 78-74-74, while Fortner had scores of 77-76-73, reeling off 16 pars on Tuesday with just a pair of solitary bogeys marring his scorecard.
Junior Carl Santos-Ocampo (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) rounded out the Notre Dame lineup in a tie for 63rd place at 18-over par 231 (75-79-77).
Notre Dame’s next varsity action will come Sept. 28-30, when the Irish return to California for the Saint Mary’s (Calif.) Invitational at famed Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. The Notre Dame “B” team will compete in two tournaments during the interim period, competing at the Rutgers Invitational (Sept. 12-13) and DePaul’s John Dallio Memorial (Sept. 21-22).
— ND —
USF Olympic Club Intercollegiate
Sept. 8-9, 2008
The Olympic Club/Lake Course (Daly City, Calif.)
Par 71/6,855 yards
FINAL TEAM RESULTS: 1. California 861 (287-281-293); 2. Colorado 869 (294-289-286); 3. UAB 873 (288-291-294); 4. Xavier 876 (293-289-294); 5. (tie) Oregon State 877 (298-294-285) and San Diego 877 (296-288-293); 7. Nevada 878 (294-299-285); 8. San Francisco “B” 882 (291-297-294); 9. Wisconsin 883 (302-295-286); 10. NOTRE DAME 889 (298-299-292); 11. San Francisco 891 (302-295-294); 12. Santa Clara 900 (302-300-298); 13. Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 902 (296-298-308); 14. Rice 908 (303-304-301); 15. Hartford 912 (301-306-305).
TOP 6 INDIVIDUAL PLUS NOTRE DAME GOLFERS (of 78): 1. (tie) Michael Jensen (Cal) 213 (71-70-72) and Derek Tolan (CU) 213 (74-69-70); 3. (tie) Chris Cunningham (USF) 214 (70-73-71), Ji Hwan Park (USF-B) 214 (71-74-69), Paul Peterson (OSU) 214 (73-74-67) and Scott Smith (Nev) 214 (70-74-70); 16. (tie) Tyler Hock (ND) 218 (72-73-73); 32. (tie) Jeff Chen (ND) 222 (74-76-72); 46. (tie) Connor Alan-Lee (ND) 226 (78-74-74) and Doug Fortner (ND) 226 (77-76-73); 63. (tie) Carl Santos-Ocampo (ND) 231 (75-79-77).