Sept. 15, 2012
Tar Heel Intercollegiate Day 1 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team bounced back from a slow tournament start, carding a four-over par 292 in the second round on day one of the Tar Heel Intercollegiate Saturday at the UNC Finley Golf Course.
The Fighting Irish collectively birdied 15 holes during the second 18, gaining six strokes to par after firing a morning round of 298 (10-over).
Senior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) got off to a fast start in his opening round, birdieing the 430-yard first hole to quickly move to one-under par. McNamara would add three more birdies in the round to finish with a team-best score of two-under par 70. A second round 76 left McNamara in a tie for 24th-place overall (70-76-146).
“Paul kept us in there this morning,” Notre Dame head coach Jim Kubinski said. “His 70 was a great score and allowed us to have a good chance for a solid finish Sunday.”
Junior Andrew Lane (Fairport, N.Y.) logged a pair of birdies over the final nine holes of his morning round to card a two-over 74. Lane birdied three straight holes to open his second round, but ultimately finished with a 75 (74-75-149).
“Andrew played some really good stretches in his debut,” Kubinski remarked. “He missed a couple he normally makes, but I’m excited for the year he’s going to have.”
Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) improved on his opening round score by five strokes during the afternoon 18, carding a second round one-over par 73. The junior closed the day in a tie for 55th place (78-73-151).
“Niall battled pretty hard in the afternoon,” Kubinski intimated. “He was fighting a cold or flu, and really hung in there considering it was a 36-hole day.”
Sophomore David Lowe (Scottsdale, Ariz.), making his first career start for the Fighting Irish, bounced back from an opening-round 76 with an even-par 72. Lowe played his final six holes of the day in one-under par to finish in a tie for 35th place (76-72-148).
Sophomore Tyler Wingo (Fairfax, Va.) rounded out the Notre Dame rotation with a seven-stroke second round improvement, birdieing four holes as part of an even-par 72. Wingo (79-72-151) joined Platt and Boston College’s Nick Pandelena in 55th place.
“I was really proud of Tyler and David this afternoon,” Kubinski said. “This was their first time out for us (as regular starters) and they both had great bounce-back rounds, which isn’t easy. They both showed a lot of heart.”
No. 21 Duke claimed the overall tournament lead with rounds of 285-282 for a cumulative 567(nine-under par). Charlotte fired a two-under 286 in the second round to finish day one in a tie for second place (289-286-575). Tournament host North Carolina put together a collective 286-289-575 to share second place with Charlotte.
North Carolina State’s Albin Choi will take a three-shot individual lead into the third and final round after carding an opening day 137 (66-71). North Carolina’s Patrick Barrett (69-71-140) and Michael McGowan (72-68-140) finished the first day of play in a tie for second place with East Tennessee State’s Rhys Pugh (66-74-140).
The Fighting Irish open the final round of the Tar Heel Intercollegiate Sunday at 7:40 a.m. (ET). Notre Dame will be playing No. 34 East Carolina and Boston College in the third round.
Tar Heel Intercollegiate – UNC Finley Golf Course – Par-72, 7,242 Yards
Top-Five Teams (Thru 36 holes):
1. Duke 567, -9
T2. Charlotte 575, -1
T2. North Carolina 575, -1
T4. UNCW 583, +7
T4. NC State 583, +7
T4. East Tenn. St. 583, +7
8. Notre Dame 590, +14
Top-Five Individuals (Thru 36 holes):
1. Albin Choi (NC State) 137, -7
T2. Patrick Barrett (NC) 140, -4
T2. Michael McGowan (NC) 140, -4
T2. Rhys Pugh (ETSU) 140, -4
T5. Julian Suri (Duke) 141, -3
T5. Austin Cody (Duke) 141, -3
T5. Motin Yeung (Duke) 141, -3
T5. Andy Knox (NC) 141, -3
T5. G. Kristjansson (ETSU) 141, -3
Notre Dame Standings (Thru 36 holes):
T24. Paul McNamara III 146, +2
T35. David Lowe 148, +4
T44. Andrew Lane 149, +5
T55. Niall Platt 151, +7
T55. Tyler Wingo 151, +7
–ND–