Feb. 15, 2007
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John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
Sunday-Tuesday, Feb. 18-20, 2007
8:30 a.m. (ET) Sunday-Monday; 8 a.m. (ET) Tuesday
Sawgrass Golf Club/Oceanside Course (East-West)
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Par 72/6,895 yards
Irish Set To Open Spring Season At North Florida
Following a solid start to the 2006-07 season, Notre Dame will get back on the links for the first time since Thanksgiving when it ventures to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (outside of Jacksonville) for the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational, slated for Sunday-Tuesday at the Sawgrass Country Club. The tournament, which was formerly known as the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, is generally considered one of the nation’s premier college events since its inception in 1992 and will feature a high-powered field this season, including 10 of the nation’s top 50 teams, according to Golfweek.
Notre Dame is coming off a fall 2006 campaign that saw the Irish post a 28-32 (.467) record and a 295.27 stroke average that currently stands as second-best in school history. In addition, Notre Dame took a runner-up finish at the inaugural Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic (trailing only top-10 stalwart Lamar) and posted an upper-division finish in The Prestige at PGA WEST. What’s more, the Irish showed steady progress during the fall, culminating with an average team score of 872.5 in their final two events.
Quoting Coach Kubinski…
“Our new facility has given us the opportunity to keep a club in our hands during the challenging part of the year weather-wise. We’ve been able to hit balls and work very hard on so many short game shots. Still, there’s something to be said for getting out and playing the golf course. With such a strong field at Sawgrass, I’m not going to worry about the leader board at this point of the season. We’re looking to get re-acclimated and will certainly compete hard.
“This is the first step in our spring drive toward the BIG EAST and NCAA Championships. We’re just trying to take small steps and keep improving. I like our team very much. We can be a special team if certain things fall into place. We must stay healthy and we need a couple of our younger players to step up. If that happens, we will have an opportunity to accomplish some things not seen here in quite some time. Sawgrass is our starting point – it’s our first invitation to this prestigious event. We’re certainly honored to be included and very excited to get out and compete again.”
Dates and Times
Teams will play one round (18 holes) each on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with the first round following a split-tee start with preassigned times that begin on the first and 10th holes at 8:30 a.m. (ET). The second and third rounds will also feature split-tee starts, with start times based upon tournament standings through 18 and 36 holes, respectively. Monday’s second round will start at 8:30 a.m. (ET), while Tuesday’s final round is slated for an 8 a.m. (ET) start. All times and formats are tentative and subject to change.
Following The Irish
Live in-progress scoring from the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational will be provided through the Golfstat web site (www.golfstat.com). In addition, complete results following each day’s action at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). The latest information from the tournament, including results, scheduling updates and weather delays, also will be available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
New this year is the Irish ALERT system, which provides fans with regular updates on Notre Dame’s progress in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational through text messages sent right to their cell phone. For more information or to register for this free service, visit the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com).
The Tournament Format
A total of 15 five-man teams (75 participants, plus the possibility of some additional golfers competing on an individual basis) will be taking part in the John Hayt Collegiate 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 tournament host North Florida, the remaining teams in the field for the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational are: Alabama, UAB, Augusta State, UCF (Central Florida), Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, LSU, Pepperdine, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA and Vanderbilt.
According to the final fall edition of the GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (released Nov. 16), five ranked teams – No. 1 Alabama, No. 6 UCLA, No. 9 Coastal Carolina, No. 12 Tennessee and No. 19 Georgia State – are scheduled to take part in this week’s tournament. Three other teams received votes in the current coaches’ poll – Charlotte (29 votes; tie-26th place), South Carolina (two votes; 38th place) and Notre Dame (one vote; tie-39th place).
Meanwhile, the Feb. 11 ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index show that 10 of the top 50 teams will be on hand for the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational. Leading the way is No. 5 Alabama, followed by No. 8 Coastal Carolina, No. 9 Tennessee and No. 10 Tennessee. Also on the first page of the Golfweek ratings are No. 21 Georgia State, No. 25 Charlotte, No. 38 UAB, No. 41 Pepperdine, No. 45 UCF and No. 50 South Carolina. Notre Dame is just outside the Golfweek Top 50, presently checking in 51st overall, with Vanderbilt (54th) and LSU (57th) also knocking on the door.
In addition, the most recent Golfstat rankings (unveiled Feb. 14) indicate 11 of this week’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 50. Second-ranked Alabama sets the bar, with No. 8 Coastal Carolina, 10th-ranked UCLA, No. 12 Tennessee, 22nd-ranked Georgia State and No. 23 Charlotte rounding out the top 25 teams in the field. No. 39 UAB, 41st-ranked Pepperdine, No. 42 UCF, 49th-ranked Notre Dame and No. 50 Augusta State are the other the top 50 squads competing this week.
Head-To-Head
Notre Dame has faced seven of the other 14 teams in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational field this season, amassing a combined 3-7 (.300) record against those clubs. The Irish record vs. the rest of the this week’s tournament competition breaks down as follows: Alabama (0-1), Augusta State (1-1), Coastal Carolina (0-1), Pepperdine (0-2), South Carolina (1-0), UCLA (0-2) and Vanderbilt (1-0).
The Course
The Sawgrass Oceanside Course (East-West) gained its reputation as the home of the PGA Tour’s Tournament Players Championship from 1977-81, when the course, along with the treacherous winds of Sawgrass, tested the greatest players of the game.
This par-72, 6,895- yard layout requires distance off the tee while putting a premium on accuracy. With water on 14 of the 18 holes, along with approaches into extremely well-bunkered greens, placement is of prime importance. In addition, the greens are shallow but wide, creating difficult hole locations.
Last Time Out: Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational
Notre Dame wrapped the fall portion of its 2006-07 season with an eighth-place finish at the Aloha Purdue Collegiate Invitational, which concluded on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23) at the Kiahuna Golf Club (par 70/6,885 yards) in Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii. Playing in the Aloha State and on Thanksgiving for the first time in program history, the Irish carded a three-round score of 34-over par 874 (283-299-292) and ended up 27 strokes back of tourney champion Texas, and just three shots behind top-ranked Alabama.
Sophomore Josh Sandman continued his remarkable run of consistency as a collegian, tying for 14th place with a five-over par 215 (66-77-72). It was Sandman’s eighth top-25 finish in 10 career tournaments, with his opening-round 66 also setting a new personal-low total, one shot better than the 67 he shot in the final round of last month’s Prestige at PGA WEST.
Senior All-America candidate Cole Isban also was solid, tying for 17th place at six-over par 216 (69-74-73). Isban has placed 20th or better in all five of his tournaments this year, not to mention nine of his last 13 events, dating back to last season. Isban’s opening-round 69 also was his third score in the 60s this year, matching Sandman for the team lead.
Senior co-captain Adam Gifford was among a group of golfers who shared 23rd place, firing a career-best nine-over par 219 (73-74-72). Junior Eddie Peckels held down the 36th place in the individual standings with a 14-over par 224 (75-74-75). Meanwhile, freshman Carl Santos-Ocampo closed out his first tournament with the Irish varsity five in 45th place at 26-over par 236 (76-82-78).
Irish Tee Off Spring With Annual Alumni Matches
Notre Dame actually opened its spring 2007 season last weekend with its annual Almuni Matches at the Saddlebrook Resort in suburban Tampa. The team of Steve & Tom Pratico, Notre Dame associate athletics director Mike Karwoski and Irish head coach Jim Kubinski won the best 2-of-4 (one gross/one net) “Shamble” format with a two-round score of 121 (-19).
Three Tournaments, Three Aces For Irish
It would be difficult to script a much better start than Notre Dame freshmen Doug Fortner and Carl Santos-Ocampo experienced last fall. Between them, the two Irish rookies fired three aces in their first three tournaments, including matching holes-in-one in their respective college debuts 10 days apart.
Fortner was the first to card a “single” on Sept. 16 in the second round of the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn., pulling out a pitching wedge and sinking his tee shot on the par-3, 139-yard 17th hole at the Spring Hill Golf Club. Not to be outdone, Santos-Ocampo made his mark in the final round of the John Dallio Memorial (a “B” team event for the Irish) in West Chicago, Ill., using a 7-iron to bury his tee shot on the par-3, 175-yard third hole at the Prairie Landing Golf Club.
Santos-Ocampo was at it again on Oct. 10 in the final round of the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic. Playing into a stiff breeze, the diminutive Notre Dame freshman took an 8-iron to the tee of the par-3, fourth hole at the Warren Golf Course and promptly buried his 136-yard tee shot.
Both Fortner and Santos-Ocampo were featured in the Oct. 30 edition of Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” for their accomplishment, which is believed to be the first of its kind in NCAA Division I history.
Things You Should Know About The Irish
- Notre Dame is the three-time defending BIG EAST Conference champion (and three-time NCAA regional qualifier), winning the 2006 BIG EAST 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’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 13 Top 25 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), has qualified for the last three U.S. Amateur Championships, and is ranked 56th in the latest Golfweek individual rankings (as of Feb. 11).
- Kubinski himself was nominated for a place on the 2007 GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teachers List, after being placed into consideration by the Indiana Section of the PGA. Approximately 400-500 people are chosen annually from the 30,000 PGA professionals nationwide for a few select places on the GOLF Magazine list, whose membership includes such notables as Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter and Rick Smith.
Next Up: Triumph At Pauma Valley (March 12-13)
Notre Dame will begin its Spring Break trip by venturing to the greater San Diego area for the Triumph at Pauma Valley, hosted by San Francisco. The field will be made up primarily of West Coast schools, including Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State and Cal Poly, although Wisconsin and Hartford also are slated to participate.