Sept. 14, 2010
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team ended the College of Charleston Invite in second place, after posting a 54-hole total of 879 (+15). Individually, Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) led the way for the Irish by finishing with a one-over par 217, to earn a share of second place.
The Irish entered day two of the tournament with a one-shot lead over N.C. State, but were unable to hold off the Wolfpack. Notre Dame carded a final-round, seven-over par 295.
“No doubt we are disappointed in not getting that fourth score today,” said Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “It’s tough to win at this level counting an 80. Yet, that’s Kiawah. A little off becomes a struggle in a hurry.
“We did some great things this week though,” Kubinski continued. “We had a freshman (Niall Platt) tie for second. He showed incredible composure. We also had four players in the top 12 and posted several under-par rounds at a championship venue. We have a strong team capable of winning out here and that’s exciting. There were some things to improve on but 10-1 in wins/losses is a good start to the year.”
Platt was able to lead the Irish individually with steady play throughout his three rounds. After entering the day at even par, he posted a one-over par 73 on his final 18 holes. Platt was saddled with two bogies on the front nine but registered a pair of birdies on the back along with one more bogey to climb back to one-over par on the day.
Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) posted the low round of the day amongst Irish golfers, netting a three-under par 69 to finish the tournament alone in eighth with a 220 (+4). Scodro stood at two-over par on his round after 10 holes before finishing his final eight holes at five under, including four straight birdies on holes 13 through 16.
“Max finished with one of our best stretches of golf ever played today, given the course,” Kubinski remarked. “He birdies five of the last seven holes and got a par on one of the toughest par 3’s in the world in the 17th.”
Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) finished the tournament second amongst the Irish rotation and in a tie for sixth after carding a third-round 73 (+1). The round got off to a rough start with an opening-hole double-bogey 7, but he then played the final 17 holes in a one-under par clip and finished two under on the back side. Walker wrapped up his 54 holes with a score of 219 (+3).
Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), who carded the low Irish round of the tournament with a 68 (-4) in second-round play, struggled in his final round of competition. He was able to piece together 10 pars on the round, but carded four bogies on his final five holes and was unable to card a birdie. Overall, McNamara earned a share of 12th place with a final score of 223 (+7.
With their respective finishes, McNamara (t12), Walker (t6) and Platt (t2) recorded their career best finishes to-date with the Irish.
Tom Usher (Bradford, England) finished the tournament in a tie for 65th along with teammate Jeff Chen (Walnut, Calif.) after concluding with a score of 241 (+25). Usher wrapped up with a final-round 84 (+12), while Chen netted a closing 87 (+15).
N.C. State used a final-day 288 (E) to grab first place. The Wolfpack finished with a three-round total of 873 (+9), good for a six-shot victory over the Irish. Individually, College of Charleston’s John Duke Hudson fired a three-over par 75 in his final round to capture the overall title with a 54-hole total of 214 (-2).
The Irish return to action in two weeks when they play host to the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic on Sept. 26-27. Check back with und.com for a preview of the two-day event.
The College of Charleston Invite – The Ocean Course, Par 72 – 7,504
Top-Five Team Scores (54-hole totals): 1. N.C. State (+9/5873); 2. NOTRE DAME (+15/879); 3. College of Charleston (+16/880); 4. Coastal Carolina (+20/884); 5. UAB (+24/888)
Top-Five Golfers (54-hole totals): 1. John Duke Hudson (Coll. of Charleston/214); t2. Niall Platt (NOTRE DAME/142); t2. Jason Shufflebottam (UAB/217); t2. Sebastian Soderberg (Coastal Carolina/217); 5. Josh Cone (Mercer/218)
Notre Dame Scores (54-hole totals): t2. Niall Platt (74-70-73-217); t6. Chris Walker (75-71-73-219); 8. Max Scodro (76-75-69-220); t12. Paul McNamara III (75-68-80-223); t65. Tom Usher (79-78-84-241); t65. Jeff Chen (79-75-87-241)
–ND–