Sept. 27, 2009
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team shot a final day one-over par 285 to finish in fifth at Vanderbilt’s Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate with a six-under par 562 cumulative score. After Saturday’s round was cancelled due to heavy rain, seniors Doug Fortner (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) and Josh Sandman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) came out to lead the Irish during Sunday’s final round at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Fortner shot a final round, even-par 71 to tie for seventh, marking his seventh top-ten career finish. Fortner birdied the par-5 18th to stay at even par on the day. He also birdied the sixth.
Sandman carded Notre Dame’s lowest round of the day, turning in a minus-two 69. He carded an even par 71 on Friday for a combined minus-two 140 score to tie for 16th. He had five birdies on the day, including one-under par marks at 16 and 18.
Sophomore Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) and junior Connor Alan-Lee (Solano Beach, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School) finished in a tie for 30th in the 90-player field. Walker shot a two-over par 73 on the final day to finish at one-over par (143) for the tournament. He notched three birdies on Sunday, including one on the 18th. After shooting a first round 69, Alan-Lee turned in a final round 74 for his one-over par 143 total.
Carl Santos-Ocampo (Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples) tied for 58th after he turned in a two round, six-over par total of 148. He took four strokes off his first round score to card a one-over par 72 on Sunday.
Middle Tennessee State and South Carolina tied for first, as each team finished the tournament at 12-under par 556. Jonathan Randolph of Mississippi took individual medalist honors with a minus-11 (131) total. Combined with a sixth-place finish at the Gopher Invitational, Notre Dame has now turned in back-to-back top-six finishes to start a season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.
The Irish will return to action when they play host to the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic at the Warren Golf Course on October 5-6 in Notre Dame, Ind. Play on Monday, Oct. 5 will begin with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start.
Mason Rudolph Championship – Vanderbilt Legends Club
Top-Five Team Scores (36-hole totals): 1. Middle Tennessee State (556); t1. South Carolina (556); 3. Arkansas State (557); 4. Georgia Tech (559); 5. Notre Dame (562).
Top-Five Golfers (36-hole scores): 1. Jonathan Randolph (Mississippi/131); t2. Ryan Haselden (Vanderbilt/136); t2. Patrick Rada (South Carolina/136); t4. John Tyler Griffin (Georgia Tech/137); t4. Lloyd du Preez (Arkansas State/137); t4. Craig Smith (Middle Tennessee St./137).
Notre Dame Scores (36-hole totals): t7. Doug Fortner (67-71-138); t16. Josh Sandman (71-69-140); t30. Chris Walker (70-73-143); t30. Connor Alan-Lee (69-74-143); t58. Carl Santos-Ocampo (76-72-148).
— ND —