Sept. 15, 2006
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Gopher Invitational
Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 16-17, 2006
8:30 a.m. (CT) Sat./7:30 a.m. Sun.
Spring Hill Golf Club
Wayzata, Minn.
Par 72/7,020 yards
Irish Set To Open 2006-07 Season This Weekend In Minnesota Fresh off one of the most successful seasons in the nearly 80-year history of the program, Notre Dame will look for an encore when it tees off the 2006-07 season this weekend at the Gopher Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The Irish are the three-time defending BIG EAST Conference champions and have made three consecutive NCAA regional appearances, most recently charting a 17th-place showing at the 2006 NCAA East Regional in Orlando.
Notre Dame will be a much younger team in 2006-07, with four seniors graduating off last year’s most recent regional qualifying squad. In their place, the Irish welcome four freshman to the fold, including Doug Fortner, a top-50 junior golfer who was tabbed as a “Freshman To Watch,” according to the recently-released Golfweek College Preview.
Senior co-captain and two-time all-region selection Cole Isban will be the standard bearer for Notre Dame this season. A legitimate All-America candidate in 2006-07, Isban is winding down arguably the finest individual careers in school history, already holding Irish records for single season stroke average (72.97 in 2005-06) and career stroke average (74.10), while seeing more than 92 percent of his 103 competitive rounds count to the Notre Dame team score.
Quoting Coach Kubinski …
“Our team heads to Minnesota for our opening event this weekend. The field will be a great initial test for us. There are several Big 10 teams competing and a couple (host Minnesota and Northwestern) that played well at the NCAA Championships last June. In addition, there are so many other strong teams from across the country (such as Stanford and SMU) that will be very competitive.
“The golf course is in superb condition. In fact, it’s likely the greens at Spring Hill will be the fastest we’ll play all year … possibly stimped at 12 to 13. We’re looking forward to a great test!
“Overall, we’re still a young team. I think this event will offer us a chance to see where we are as a team and identify areas to improve. I think we’ll be competitive, but I look at this fall season as a developmental time. I do think we can have an opportunity to wincome Sunday if our top players play well and our younger guys give us a couple of solid rounds.”
Dates and Times
Teams will play two rounds (36 holes) on Saturday, with the opening round teeing off via a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. CDT (9:30 a.m. EDT in South Bend). The second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of round one. Competitors will then return to the course Sunday at 7:30 a.m. CDT for the final round, with a split-tee start from the first and 10th holes.
Following The Irish
Live scoring for the Gopher Invitational will be available through the Golfstat web site (www.golfstat.com). Complete results following each day’s action also will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). In addition, the latest information onthe Irish, including results from the Gopher Invitational, will be available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
New this year is the Irish ALERT system, which provides fans with free updates on Notre Dame’s progress through text messages sent right to their cell phone. For more information or to register for this service, visit the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com).
The Tournament Format
A total of 12 five-man teams (60 participants, with the possibility of some teams fielding additional golfers on an individual basis) will be taking part in the Gopher 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 host Minnesota, the remaining teams in the Gopher Invitational field are: Denver, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Lamar, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, SMU and Stanford. In addition, a squad from Finland is scheduled to compete this weekend,rounding out the 12-team field.
According to last year’s final GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (determined by the NCAA Championship standings), three Top 25 teams will be competing in this weekend’s tournament – No. 3 Minnesota, No. 9 Lamar and No. 25 Northwestern. No other teams received votes in the final coaches’ poll of 2005-06.
Meanwhile, last year’s final ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index show that six of the top 50 teams will be competing this weekend at Minnesota. Leading the way is No. 18 Lamar, followed closely by No. 23 Minnesota and No. 24 Northwestern. Also on the first page of the Golfweek ratings were No. 34 SMU, No. 40 Stanford and No. 47 Indiana. Four others squads were just outside the Top 50 at the end of last season – Michigan State (54th), Notre Dame (55th), Georgia Southern (58th) and Denver (59th).
In addition, the year-end Golfstat rankings from the 2005-06 season indicate three of this weekend’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 25. Lamar is tops at No. 8, with Minnesota ranked 10th and Northwestern standing 20th.
Head-To-Head
Last year, Notre Dame faced all but one of the other 10 college teams in the field at the Gopher Invitational, sporting a combined 14-12 (.538) record against those squads (meeting all but Denver). The Irish record in 2005-06 vs. the Gopher Invitational field breaks down as follows: Georgia Southern (2-1), Indiana (1-2), Lamar (0-1), Michigan State (2-1), Minnesota (1-3), Northwestern (1-2), Ohio State (3-0), SMU (2-1) and Stanford (2-1).
The Course
Opening in 1999, the Spring Hill Golf Club is a challenging par-72, 7,020-yard layout designed by noted architect Tom Fazio. The course was rated as one of the top five private courses in the state of Minnesota, according to the 2005-06 Golf Digest rankings, and continues to live up to that reputation. It puts a premium on shot-making ability, especially around the greens, which will be among the most difficult that many of the golfers in this weekend’s field will face all year.
Noting The Irish At The Gopher Invitational
Notre Dame is making it second appearance in as many years at the tournament hosted by Minnesota. Last year, the Irish teed off their 2005-06 season with a fifth-place finish in their first-ever visit to the event, firing a 29-over par 893 (309-297-287). Scott Gustafson was Notre Dame’s top individual, tying for sixth place in the 66-man field with a two-over par 218 (73-73-72).
Senior co-captain and All-America candidate Cole Isban played at last year’s Gopher Invitational, tying for 22nd place with an eight-over par 224 (80-74-70).
Junior Mike King, who also is on the Notre Dame lineup, will get his second look at the Spring Hill Golf Club layout after appearing in last year’s tournament. King tied for 58th place with a three-round total of 26-over par 242 (80-81-81).
Freshman Doug Fortner makes his college debut this weekend at the Gopher Invitational. Fortner was ranked among the top 50 junior golfers in the country (and top 20 seniors) during the summer of 2006 by Golfweek, and was tapped by that service during its annual College Preview as a “Freshman To Watch” for the 2006-07 season. Fortner was a U.S. Open sectional qualifier this summer, and posted a 73.11 stroke average en route to three top-20 finishes in as many events on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit.
Last Time Out: 2006 NCAA East Regional
Showing the grit and determination that has made the 2005-06 season one of the most successful in school history, Notre Dame posted its best score of the three-day NCAA East Regional with a final-round 289 (+1) on May 20, finishing 17th in the 27-team field at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club (par 72/7,179 yards) in Orlando. The Irish wrapped up their third consecutive NCAA regional appearance (and 33rd postseason visit in program history) at 33-over par 897 (300-308-289), placing almost exactly where they had been seeded (16th) at the start of the competition.
Notre Dame’s third-round 289 was its second-best single-round score ever in an NCAA postseason event, and best ever on a par-72 course. It also continues a recent trend of Irish success in the final round of NCAA regional competition, as Notre Dame shot a 282 to close the 2005 NCAA Central Regional on its own par-70 Warren Golf Course in South Bend.
Individually, junior tri-captain Cole Isban was the top Irish finisher, doing his best to erase the memory of two difficult rounds with a sizzling final-round 68 to move up to a 52nd-place tie at eight-over par 224 (79-77-68). Isban’s third-round 68, which featured six birdies and only 24 putts, tied the school’s 18-hole record for NCAA postseason play and set a new mark with relation to par.
Freshman Josh Sandman was one stroke behind his teammate Isban in a tie for 59th place at nine-over par 225 (75-77-73). His final round was another adventurous one for the Irish rookie, who carded two birdies and an eagle at the par-five 11th hole (one of only three recorded on that hole during the course of the three-day regional). However, he closed out with a bogey at No. 17 and a double bogey on the 18th after his approach shot barely skipped off the left fringe of the green and took an unlucky bounce behind a small wooden retaining board near a hazard.
Senior tri-captain Mark Baldwin wrapped up his college career in a tie for 68th place with a 10-over par 226 (75-79-72). The veteran collected four birdies in his final round and was poised to end his Irish tenure in red numbers before his par putt on No. 18 lipped out and brought him back to level ground for the day. Like Baldwin, senior tri-captain Scott Gustafson also ended his career this weekend, tying for 82nd place at 13-over par 229 (72-77-80). A third Irish senior, Tommy Balderston also put the cap on his college tenure in a 95th-place tie at 15-over par 231 (78-77-76).
Things You Should Know About The Irish
Notre Dame is the three-time defending BIG EAST Conference champion, winning the 2006 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 set numerous school records in 2005-06, including a new standards for season stroke average with a 292.97 mark that obliterated the old mark by more than five shots (298.29 in 1999-2000). The Irish also broke school records for 18 (272, -16) and 54 holes (842, -22) with their performance at the BIG EAST Championship, and on a larger scale, registered six of the top-10 single-round scores in school history during the ’05-06 campaign.
Notre Dame had four players finish end last season with sub-74 stroke averages, the first time that has happened in the 77-year history of the program. Cole Isban carded a school-record 72.97 average, followed by Mark Baldwin (73.17), Josh Sandman (73.40) and Scott Gustafson (73.53).
The Irish achieved another milestone on May 1, 2006 when they were chosen as the Golfweek National Team of the Week. The honor came following Notre Dame’s memorable 12-shot comeback in the final round of the BIG EAST Championship and subsequent playoff victory over Louisville.
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 ranked 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) and has qualified for the last three U.S. Amateur Championships.
Next Up: Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic (Oct. 9-10) Notre Dame returns to the familiar surroundings of its own Warren Golf Course for the first-ever Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic, to be held Oct. 9-10. The Irish will be hosting a regular-season home tournament for the first time since September 2004 (Notre Dame Invitational/Central Regional Preview), with Augusta State, Baylor, Florida State, Lamar and Vanderbilt among the other featured squads at the 12-team event.