Nov. 1, 2011
DALLAS, Texas – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team concluded its fall schedule with an 11th place finish at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate after firing a final round 289 (+5) Tuesday at the Royal Oaks Country Club. Overall, the Irish finished with a 54-hole total of 865 (+13).
“We’re all very disappointed with our fall play,” said Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “I think our work ethic and preparation are in line with the best teams. We just haven’t executed shots to our capabilities on a consistent basis and certainly not through the lineup. At this level, you can’t have two high scores. We just kept getting two or three good scores each day and not four or five.”
Texas A&M claimed the team title for the third time in the tournament’s four-year existence, finishing at 22 under par (830), while Duke finished only one shot back at 831 (-21). Oklahoma secured third place at seven under par (845). Individually, Lamar’s MJ Daffue pulled away for a three-shot victory, setting a 54-hole Royal Oaks Intercollegiate record at 11 under (202).
For the Irish, Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) earned a top-25 finish after concluding his tournament at one under par (212) and earning a share of 19th. Platt posted four birdies on the day to go along with five bogeys and nine pars to post a final day 72 (+1). It is the second top-25 result of the fall campaign for Platt and the first since finishing tied for ninth at the Gopher Invite.
“It was great to see Niall get back to where he was last season,” stated Kubinski. “He played three good rounds in Dallas, showing ability throughout the bag.”
Senior Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) posted his second sub-par round of the tournament, carding a final day 70 (-1) to finish tied for 22nd at even par (213). Scodro played the back nine at three under par (33), before finishing the front nine at two over (37). It marks the fifth consecutive top-25 finish of the fall docket.
“Max had an outstanding fall,” remarked Kubinski. “From his BIG EAST win in 2010, right through the summer and fall, he has become a top player nationally.”
Fellow senior Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) put together his lowest stroke tournament of the fall, finishing at three over (216) after registering a 70 (-1) on Tuesday. Walker, like Scodro, also enjoyed success on the back nine, finishing at two under (34) before playing the front nine at one over (36). Overall, Walker finished tied for 30th.
“Chris bounced back very, very well from two disappointing performances at home and at Kiawah,” said Kubinski. “He did a great job at Olympia Fields and very well here. His two 73’s yesterday were solid rounds and today he made a couple more putts.”
Senior Tom Usher (Baildon, England) did not count toward the team score Tuesday after putting together a final round 78 (+7). On the day Usher marked down 13 pars, three bogeys and two double bogeys. Usher ended up tied for 68th with a final score of 225 (+12).
Junior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) saw his final round 77 (+6) counted toward the team total after not having either of his two rounds counted Monday. McNamara carded four birdies on the day to go along with four bogeys, three double bogeys and seven pars. Overall, McNamara finished 76th at 237 (+24).
The Irish now enter the winter offseason to begin preparation for the spring campaign that will eventually lead up to the BIG EAST Championship and a hopeful berth into an NCAA regional.
“I think the break is coming at a good time for us,” expressed Kubinski. “We need to work on some things and come out firing on all cylinders this spring. We’ll look to fix some things and find our stride before post-season play. We know with one more good score each round we’re top five at every event.”
Royal Oaks Intercollegiate - Royal Oaks Country Club - Par 71, 7,068 yards
Top-Five Team Scores (54 holes complete):1. Texas A&M 830 -222. Duke 831 -213. Oklahoma 845 -74. Augusta State 848 -45. New Mexico 852 E
Top-Four Individual Scores (54 holes complete):1. MJ Daffue, Lamar 202 -11T2. Spencer Anderson, Duke 205 -8T2. Cameron Peck, Texas A&M 205 -8T2. Jordan Russell, Texas A&M 205 -8
Notre Dame Results (54 holes complete):11. NOTRE DAME 865 +13T19. Niall Platt 212 -1T22. Max Scodro 213 ET30. Chris Walker 216 +3T68. Tom Usher 225 +1276. Paul McNamara III 237 +24
–ND–