Freshman Matt Rushton will make his seventh career start this week at the Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, Texas

Irish In Texas For Lone Star Invitational

March 23, 2014

Tournament Information

-THE EVENT
The Lone Star Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas-San Antonio, March 24-25, Briggs Ranch Golf Club, San Antonio, Texas.

-THE LAYOUT
The Briggs Ranch Golf Club was designed by famed golf course architect Tom Fazio, and opened for play in 2001. The par 72, 7,258-yard layout was named the best residential golf course in the state of Texas, and sixth in the United States, by Golfweek.

-8:30 A.M. START ON EACH DAY
The 54-hole stroke play tournament will be contested over two days, and begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (CT) on Monday. The second round is scheduled to start immediately following the conclusion of round one, as play will remain continuous throughout the day. The third and final round will get be contested Tuesday, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

-A TOTAL OF 15 TEAMS VYING FOR THE TOURNAMENT TITLE
The Lone Star Invitational will feature 15 teams teeing it up this week at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club. Joining Notre Dame and host UTSA are Baylor, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico, North Texas, Purdue, Rice, Sacramento State, South Dakota State, Southeastern Louisiana, Texas State and UT Arlington.

-STARTING FOR THE IRISH…
Notre Dame’s starting lineup at this week’s Lone Star Invitational will feature senior tri-captains Andrew Carreon and Niall Platt, junior Patrick Grahek and freshmen Liam Cox and Matt Rushton.

-TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Results will be posted on the UND Athletic Department Web site (www.UND.com) at the conclusion of each round. Live stats will be available through GolfStat.com.

-LOOKING AHEAD
After a competitive week off on the tournament schedule, Notre Dame will resume its spring slate at the Irish Creek Collegiate at Irish Creek Golf Club in Kannapolis, N.C. on April 5-6.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The tournament frontload on the spring schedule for the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team continues this week in the Lone Star State, as the Irish travel to the Lone Star Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas-San Antonio, at the Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas.

An 8:30 a.m. (CT) shotgun start will open Monday’s first round, with the second round immediately to follow in the continuous flow of play. Tuesday’s third and final round is also scheduled to begin with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Notre Dame withstood challenging and blustery conditions in a fifth place finish last week at the Talis Park Challenge in Naples, Fla., carding a team score of 908 (299-295-314). The Irish closed the week tied for third place overall in the 14-team field with 36 birdies over three rounds, and made the fifth-most pars over 54 holes with 146.

Senior tri-captain Niall Platt earned his best tournament finish of the season, tying for third place overall (74-70-73-217, +1) following a final round one-over-par 73. Platt closed his final round with three birdies, including one in his final nine at the par 5 15th hole, to finish two strokes behind the tournament co-medalists.

The Santa Barbara, Calif. native will make his 40th career tournament start at the Lone Star Invitational, the sixth-most by a Notre Dame player since the 1990 season. Platt’s career stroke average of 73.34 is the second-most in program history, trailing only the 73.25 clip of three-time BIG EAST Championship medalist Max Scodro (’12).

Junior Patrick Grahek will make his fourth consecutive start in the Notre Dame lineup coming off his best career result, a tie for seventh place (74-72-74-220), at last week’s Talis Park Challenge. Grahek has now logged a pair of top 25 finishes this season, and his 74.67 stroke average is the third-best on the Notre Dame roster in 2013-14.

Originally entered in the tournament as an unattached individual competitor, senior tri-captain and San Antonio native Andrew Carreon has shifted into the Irish starting five after an illness left sophomore Cory Sciupider unable to compete in the Lone Star Invitational. Carreon is making just the second start of his Notre Dame career, and his first since tying for 33rd place at the 2012 Georgetown Intercollegiate.

A pair of freshmen return to the Notre Dame order at Briggs Ranch, as Liam Cox and Matt Rushton will round out the Irish five. Cox is making his first career spring start (fourth career) this week, while Rushton is back in the fold after earning the starting nod in six of his first seven career collegiate tournaments.

Live results will be available on Monday and Tuesday via GolfStat, and can be accessed by visiting the men’s golf schedule page at UND.com.

–ND–


— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant