Sept. 21, 2003

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team ended its play at the Mary Fossum Invitational in a sixth-place tie with Michigan on Sunday. The Irish entered the final 18 holes in a tie for fifth, but shot a 316 in the final round for a 54-hole total of 941 (314-311-316). Michigan State came into Sunday’s action with a 21-shot lead and went on to win the tournament by 25 strokes over second-place Kent State with a 37-over par score of 901 (299-302-300). The 16-team tournament, hosted by the Spartans, was played at the par-72, 6,053-yard Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich.

Following Kent State’s 926 (314-311-301) was Arkansas in third with a 934 (314-308-312). Kansas finished three strokes behind the Razorbacks with a final score of 937 (320-304-313) and Wisconsin was fifth with its 940 (320-306-314).

Freshman Noriko Nakazaki (Hanover Park, Ill.) led the Irish as she shot a 76 in the final round to finish in a third-place tie with a nine-over par 225 (76-73-76). Nakazaki’s performance put her three strokes behind tournament-medalist Allison Fouch of Michigan State (72-77-73-222) who won a one-hole playoff against Arkansas’ Courtney Mahon (73-74-75-222).

Sophomore Katie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) was next for Notre Dame, shooting a 79 in the final round after firing a pair of 76’s in the first two rounds. Brophy’s 15-over par total of 231 earned her a tie for 12th place.

Sophomore Suzie Hayes (Dublin, Ireland) followed her classmate Brophy with a 243 (82-80-81) to place her 48th in the tournament. Freshman Stacy Brown (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) finished one stroke behind Hayes after shooting an 80 on Sunday for a 244 total (82-82-80), putting her in a tie for 49th. Rounding out the Irish five, senior co-captain Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill.) shot 248 (80-85-83) over the weekend, finishing tied in 64th place.

The Irish will be in action again Saturday-Sunday, September 27-28, as they host the Notre Dame Invitational. The 15-team tournament will be played at the par-72, 6,003-yard Warren Golf Course. Play will get underway with shotgun starts at 8:00 a.m. (EST) on both days with 36 holes being played on September 27 and the final round set for September 28.

— ND —

TEAM RESULTS (36-hole totals): 1. Michigan State 901 (299-302-300); 2. Kent State 926 (314-311-301); 3. Arkansas 934 (314-308-312); 4. Kansas 937 (320-304-313); 5. Wisconsin 940 (320-306-314); 6.(tie) Notre Dame 941 (314-311-316), Michigan 941 (313-314-314); 8. Illinois 944 (322-304-318); 9. Indiana 946 (310-312-324); 10. Illinois State 949 (311-315-323); 11. Toledo 954 (318-313-323); 12. Eastern Michigan 958 (317-329-312); 13. Southern Methodist 974 (329-317-328); 14. Western Michigan 976 (324-317-335); 15. Ohio U. 980 (327-319-334); 16. Marshall 1009 (340-331-338).

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 1. Allison Fouch (Michigan State) 222 (72-77-73); 2. Courtney Mahon (Arkansas) 222 (73-74-75); 3.(tie) Noriko Nakazaki (Notre Dame) 225 (76-73-76), Gabby Wedding (Kent State) 225 (77-75-73-225); 5.(tie) Malinda Johnson (Wisconsin) 226 (80-72-74), Sarah Martin (Michigan State) 226 (76-74-76), Heather Rose (Michigan State) 226 (74-77-75); 8. Dayna Burleigh (Michigan State) 227 (77-74-76); 9.(tie) Jennifer Johnson* (Michigan State) 228 (76-74-78), Ann Marie Kersten* (Michigan State) 228 (79-75-74).

NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 3.(tie) Noriko Nakazaki 225 (76-73-76); 12.(tie) Katie Brophy 231 (76-76-79); 48. Suzie Hayes 243 (82-80-81); 49.(tie) Stacy Brown 244 (82-82-80); 64.(tie) Shannon Byrne 248 (80-85-83).

*-Individual entrant