Nov. 21, 2006
Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational
Wednesday-Thursday, Nov. 22-23, 2006
7:30 a.m. (HT) both days
Kiahuna Golf Club
Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii
Par 70/6,885 yards
Irish Head To Hawaii For Thanksgiving Tournament
With a program like Notre Dame that sports such a rich heritage and tradition, it would be hard to find something that the Irish haven’t achieved in their 77 seasons of existence. Yet, Notre Dame will do two things for the first time ever this week – visit the state of Hawaii and play on Thanksgiving Day – when they participate in the inaugural Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational on Wednesday and Thursday at the Kiahuna Golf Club in Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii.
Notre Dame has not seen action since the beginning of November, when it placed 11th at the CordeValle Collegiate in San Martin, Calif. The Irish fired a season-low 869 (+5) in the event, led by senior All-America candidate Cole Isban, who tied for 19th place with a season-best 213 (-3), including a career-low 66 in the second round. Isban leads the Irish with a 72.42 scoring average this season, which currently is more than a half-stroke ahead of his school-record pace set last season.
As a team, Notre Dame has posted a 296.25 stroke average during the fall, while becoming a fixture among the top 50 in all the major national rankings. The Irish also have shown steady improvement throughout the 2006-07 season, lowering their 54-hole scores by at least 10 shots in each of their four tournaments to date.
Quoting Coach Kubinski
“Heading out to Hawaii is new to all of us. We’re excited about the opportunity. Our scheduling goal has been to play the best teams, from the top golf conferences, in as many different settings as possible. I think it’s important to offer that to our players, which affords them the very best chance to gain experience and develop. We’ve already played in the Midwest and in both northern California and southern California. We’ll add play in Florida, Texas and Georgia in the Spring, but Hawaii offers a real unique setting.
“We have a another new five this week. Freshman Carl Santos-Ocampo is making his debut in the starting lineup and joining Cole (Isban), Josh (Sandman), Adam (Gifford) and Eddie (Peckels). Carl has played some very solid rounds this fall. Surprisingly, he’s already been in Sports Illustrated (for his two aces) before even starting for us! He’s very accurate and has a nice touch around the greens. His putting has been outstanding of late. I think Carl will give us a couple of counting rounds and make a nice impact.
“Cole and Josh have played very, very consistently. I think they’ll have another strong event as it looks to be a course where birdies are prevalent. Of course, Eddie, having grown up on Bermuda greens, should also feel comfortable.
“The field is smaller in number with just nine teams, but it includes several top-25 teams, including top-ranked Alabama, Clemson and Texas. If we can get four solid scores each round instead of our recent two or three good scores, we should have an opportunity to compete for the title come Thursday.”
Dates and Times
Teams will play two rounds (36 holes) on Wednesday, with the opening round teeing off via a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. HT (12:30 p.m. ET). The second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of round one. Competitors will then return to the course Thursday for the third and final round, also beginning at 7:30 a.m. (HT) with a shotgun start.
Following The Irish
Complete results following each day’s action at the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). In addition, the latest information from the tournament, including results, scheduling updates and weather delays, will be available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
New this year is the Irish ALERT system, which provides fans with regular updates on Notre Dame’s progress in the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational through text messages sent right to their cell phone. For more information or to register for this free service, visit the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com).
The Tournament Format
A total of nine five-man teams (45 participants, plus the possibility of some additional golfers competing on an individual basis) will be taking part in the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational. Conventional collegiate golf team scoring rules will apply, with the lowest four scores in the five-man lineup for each round counting toward the team total. Scores by golfers competing on an individual basis do not count to the team score.
The Teams
Besides Notre Dame and tournament host Purdue, the remaining teams in the field for the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational are: Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Pepperdine, Rice, Texas and Virginia Tech.
According to the latest GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (released Nov. 16), three ranked teams – No. 1 Alabama, No. 8 Clemson and No. 22 Texas – are scheduled to take part in this week’s tournament. Two other teams received votes in the current coaches’ poll – Purdue (22 votes; 29th place) and Notre Dame (one vote; tie-39th place).
Meanwhile, the Nov. 18 ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index show that six of the top 50 teams will be on hand for the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational. Leading the way is No. 1 Alabama, followed by No. 5 Clemson and 23rd-ranked Texas. Also on the first page of the Golfweek ratings are No. 27 Purdue, No. 44 Pepperdine and No. 47 Notre Dame.
In addition, the most recent Golfstat rankings (unveiled Nov. 15) indicate six of this week’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 50. Top-ranked Alabama sets the bar, with No. 9 Clemson, 24th-ranked Texas, No. 25 Purdue, 46th-ranked Notre Dame and No. 47 Pepperdine rounding out the ranked teams in the field. Virginia Tech (60th) is just outside the first page of the Golfstat rankings.
Head-To-Head
Notre Dame has faced only two of the other eight teams in the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational field, amassing a combined 1-1 (.500) record against those clubs. The Irish record vs. the rest of the this week’s tournament competition breaks down as follows: Pepperdine (0-1) and Rice (1-0).
The Course
For the second consecutive tournament, Notre Dame will compete on a championship layout designed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The Kiahuna Golf Club measures at 6,885 yards from its championship tees and will play as a par-70 course for this week’s tournament.
The layout incorporates numerous water hazards and bunkers, while golfers also will have to deal with the ever-present tradewinds that blow through the Hawaiian Islands. In addition, the course has been skillfully structured around many ancient remnants of authentic Hawaiian culture.
Last Time Out: CordeValle Collegiate
Notre Dame carded a season-low total of five-over par 869 (292-286-291) en route to an 11th-place finish at the 17-team CordeValle Collegiate, which concluded Nov. 7 at the CordeValle Golf Club (par 72/7,119 yards) in San Martin, Calif. The Irish also collected their first win of the season over a Top 25 opponent, finishing five shots ahead of No. 22 TCU in the final team standings. The high-powered CordeValle Collegiate featured five of the nation’s top 10 teams, as well as 13 of the top 50 squads (according to Golfweek), with No. 9 Stanford taking top honors at 822 (-42).
Senior All-America candidate Cole Isban was Notre Dame’s top individual finisher, tying for 19th place at three-under par 213 (76-66-71). Isban’s second-round 66 was a career-best and his final score of 213 was a season low. The Irish co-captain now has placed in the top 20 at each of his four tournaments this year and eight of his last 12 events, dating back to last season. At CordeValle, Isban was playing at less than 100 percent due to an injury and struggled early with five bogeys and one birdie in his opening round. However, he rallied in impressive fashion with 11 birdies and an eagle over his final 36 holes, including five birdies in an eight-hole stretch early in round two. For the season, Isban has carded five of 12 rounds under par with another at even par.
Sophomore Josh Sandman continued his consistent play this fall, tying for 25th place at one-under par 215 (69-75-71). Sandman now has placed 25th or better in all four of his events this season and seven of nine tournaments in his college career. Junior Eddie Peckels capped his first tournament of the year as a member of the Irish travel squad by tying for 50th place at three-over par 219 (73-69-77) — his second-round 69 tied a career-best, while his 54-hole mark of 219 matched a season standard.
Senior co-captain Adam Gifford closed well and finished tied for 68th place at eight-over par 224 (74-78-72). Meanwhile, junior Greg Rodgers ended up in 87th place with a score of 16-over par 232 (78-76-78).
Three Tournaments, Three Aces For Irish
It would be difficult to script a much better start than Notre Dame freshmen Doug Fortner and Carl Santos-Ocampo have experienced this fall. Between them, the two Irish rookies fired three aces in their first three tournaments, including matching holes-in-one in their respective college debuts 10 days apart.
Fortner was the first to card a “single” on Sept. 16 in the second round of the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn., pulling out a pitching wedge and sinking his tee shot on the par-3, 139-yard 17th hole at the Spring Hill Golf Club. Not to be outdone, Santos-Ocampo made his mark in the final round of the John Dallio Memorial (a “B” team event for the Irish) in West Chicago, Ill., using a 7-iron to bury his tee shot on the par-3, 175-yard third hole at the Prairie Landing Golf Club.
Santos-Ocampo was at it again on Oct. 10 in the final round of the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic. Playing into a stiff breeze, the diminutive Notre Dame freshman took an 8-iron to the tee of the par-3, fourth hole at the Warren Golf Course and promptly buried his 136-yard tee shot.
Both Fortner and Santos-Ocampo were featured in the Oct. 30 edition of Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” for their accomplishment, which is believed to be the first of its kind in NCAA Division I history.
Things You Should Know About The Irish
Notre Dame is the three-time defending BIG EAST Conference champion (and three-time NCAA regional qualifier), winning the 2006 BIG EAST title with a dramatic 12-stroke comeback (second-largest in school and league history) in the final round to defeat Louisville on the first playoff hole. The Irish joined St. John’s as the only programs in the 26-year history of the BIG EAST Championship to win three consecutive titles on two separate occasions. The Irish recorded their first hat trick from 1995-97, while St. John’s posted a pair of “four-peats” from 1981-84 and 1986-89.
Notre Dame’s impressive resurgence of late has been augmented by its play against nationally-ranked opponents. In fact, since Jim Kubinski took over as head coach in January 2005, the Irish have toppled 12 Top 25 teams (according to Golfweek), including seven last season.
Senior Cole Isban is a prime candidate to become Notre Dame’s first All-American since 1980 (John Lundgren – honorable mention), coming off consecutive selections to the PING All-Midwest Region Team. Isban owns the school’s single-season and career stroke average (see chart on page 3), has qualified for the last three U.S. Amateur Championships, and is ranked 35th in the latest Golfweek individual rankings (as of Nov. 3).
Kubinski himself has been nominated for a place on the 2007 GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teachers List, after being placed into consideration by the Indiana Section of the PGA. Approximately 400-500 people are chosen annually from the 30,000 PGA professionals nationwide for a few select places on the GOLF Magazine list, whose membership regularly carries over and includes such notables as Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter and Rick Smith. The ’07 GOLF Magazine Top 100 selections will be announced later this month.
Next Up: John Hayt Collegiate Invitational (Feb. 19-20)
Notre Dame tees off the spring 2007 season at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 19-20 at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The tournament, formerly known as the Mercedes-Benz Championship, is hosted by the University of North Florida and is considered one of the top tests of the spring season on the collegiate golf circuit. Some of the other participating teams at this year’s event are: Alabama, UCLA and Coastal Carolina, all of whom currently are ranked among the top 10 squads in the country.