Sept. 18, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team opens its 2003-04 campaign in Toledo, Ohio, participating in the third annual Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational. The 54-hole tournament is being hosted by the University of Toledo and will be held at the Inverness Club on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20. The prestigious Inverness Club was founded in 1903 and has hosted four U.S. Opens, one U.S. Amateur, two PGA Championships and this year’s U.S. Senior Open. The Inverness Club was also the site of the greatest achievement in Notre Dame men’s golf history. The Irish won the 1944 NCAA Championship at the club, the only national title for the men’s golf program in its 74-year history.
The 15-team tournament will feature some of the top men’s golf programs in the country. Joining the Irish and host Rockets are Augusta State, UCLA, Central Florida, Duke, Illinois, Kansas State, Kent State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Northwestern and Oklahoma. Augusta State, UCLA, Duke, Illinois, Minnesota and New Mexico all qualified for the 2003 NCAA men’s golf championship.
Third-year head coach John Jasinski’s opening lineup with feature three freshmen and two sophomores. The Irish five will be led by sophomores Scott Gustafson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Dan Klauer (Granger, Ind.). Gustafson helped the Irish finish second at the 2003 BIG EAST Championship by tying for second individually, earning all-BIG EAST honors with an 11-over par 221 (70-75-76). Klauer saw action in one tournament last season, shooting an 18-over par 234 (75-78-81) at the 2003 Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational.
Rounding out Jasinski’s squad this weekend will be three players making their debuts for the Irish. The three freshmen are Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind.), Shane Sigsbee (McKinney, Texas) and walk-on Adam Gifford.
The Irish will play 36 holes on Friday beginning with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) and Saturday’s final round is slated for a 2:00 p.m (EDT) shotgun start. Tournament results will be available on www.und.com at the completion of play on each day.
— ND —