March 16, 2012
STATESBORO, Ga. – On the strength of an opening round 289 (+1), the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team sits alone in ninth place (out of 14 teams) after the opening round of the Schenkel Invitational Friday at Forest Heights Country Club. Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) led the Irish on day one, finishing three under (69).
Alabama made history in the opening round, setting a new single-round record for a team at the Schenkel Invite with its 20-under par (268) total. The Crimson Tide are 12 strokes clear of both Florida and Mississippi. The Gators and Rebels finished the opening day with matching scores of 280 (-8). Virginia’s Ben Kohles leads the individual field after a 65 (-7) to begin his tournament.
Scodro’s round got off to a bumpy start after playing the first three holes at two over par. After settling down with three consecutive pars on holes four through six, the Irish senior went on to post four birdies, one bogey and an eagle over the remaining 12 holes. The eagle came on the final hole of the front nine, a par-five, 528-yard hole. He currently sits in a tie for ninth in the individual field.
Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) wrapped up his first day in a tie for 24th after carding an even par, 72. The sophomore posted one birdie and one bogey on both the front and back nine to compliment 14 pars. It is the third round of even-par or better scoring for Platt this season.
Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) finished third amongst the Irish rotation, wrapping up with at one over (73). The senior played the front nine at two under par (34) after carding three birdies and one bogey, but posted a three over (39) back nine with one birdie and four bogeys. Walker is tied for 36th overall.
Senior Tom Usher (Baildon, England) and junior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) posted matching scores of 75 (+3) for the fourth score of the Irish rotation. Usher marked 13 pars along with one birdie and four bogeys on his day, while McNamara ended with 11 pars, two birdies and five bogeys. The duo is currently tied for 56th overall.
The Irish get their second round underway Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. (ET) off of the first tee alongside the teams of North Florida and UAB. Be sure to check back with UND.com for a complete recap of the Irish on moving day at the Schenkel Invitational.
Top-Five Team Scores:1. Alabama 268 -20T2. Florida 280 -8T2. Mississippi 280 -84. Auburn 282 -65. Virginia 283 -5
Top-Five Individual Scores:1. Ben Kohles, UVA 65 -7T2. Blayne Barber, Auburn 66 -6T2. Joe David, Mississippi 66 -6T2. Justin Thomas, Alabama 66 -6T2. Bobby Wyatt, Alabama 66 -6
Notre Dame Results:9. Notre Dame 289 +1T9. Max Scodro 69 -3T24. Niall Platt 72 ET36. Chris Walker 73 +1T56. Tom Usher 75 +3T56. Paul McNamara III 75 +3
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