Sept. 26, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team, on the heels of an opening day 583 (+23), holds sixth place after 36 holes of play at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic on Monday at the Warren Golf Course.
Houston, which fired a second round 284 (+4) to move up the leaderboard, currently leads the tournament by three shots at 575 (+15). St. Mary’s (Calif.) is second at 578 (+18), while Texas-Arlington holds down third at 581 (+21).
Senior Tom Usher (Baildon, England) led the charge for the Irish on the opening day of play, finishing in a tie for ninth overall with a score of 143 (+3). Usher avoided any big mistakes on his opening 36 holes in fairly windy conditions. Overall, he finished the day with nine birdies along with nine bogeys and 17 pars but was hampered by one triple bogey coming on the 12th hole of his second round.
After carding a 71 (+1) to open the tournament, senior Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) put together a 73 (+3) over his second 18 to finish the day in a share of 11th at 144 (+4). Scodro finished the day with six birdies, seven bogeys, two double bogeys and one eagle, which came on the par-5 fifth hole during his opening round.
Junior Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) sits one shot behind Scodro and tied for 16th overall at 145 (+5), finishing with a 72 (+2) in his first round and a 73 (+3) in the second. Playing as the rotation’s number four golfer, McNamara played a consistent brand of golf on Monday, recording five birdies, 10 bogeys and 21 pars.
Sophomore Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) started his tournament off strong, finishing with a 74 (+4) in his morning round but struggled in the afternoon, concluding his second 18 with a 79 (+9), which was not counted toward the team count. Overall, Platt sits in a tie for 54th at 153 (+13).
Senior Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) rounded out the Irish rotation in a tie for 58th at 154 (+14), after posting identical scores of 77 (+7) in his first and second rounds. While his opening round mark was not used toward the team total, his afternoon round became the fourth score used. Walker played fairly consistent golf overall, recording a team-leading 22 pars on the day but was hurt by a pair of double bogeys in his opening round and two triple bogeys in the second round.
With the tournament taking place at Notre Dame’s home course, the Irish also got the chance to send the rest of their roster onto the course as individual entrants. Sophomore Andrew Carreon (San Antonio, Texas) provided the best day not only of the individual Irish entrants, but also of the team as a whole after finishing the day at even par (140). After recording an opening round 72 (+2), Carreon went on to post the lone under-par round of the day for the Irish and second-best round overall amongst the field with an afternoon 68 (-2). He sits in a tie for second after the first day.
Senior Ryan Coughlin (Rye, N.Y.) and sophomore Andrew Lane (Fairport, N.Y.) find themselves in a tie for 35th overall after posting matching scores of 149 (+9). Three freshmen got their first taste of tournament action with the Irish as Tyler Wingo (Fairfax, Va.) is tied for 49th at 152 (+12), Patrick Grahek (Alpharetta, Ga.) is tied for 64th at 156 (+16) and Peyton Vitter (New Orleans, La.) is tied for 68th at 159 (+19). Junior walk-on Edward Hjerpe (Barrington, R.I.) also got his first tournament action, sitting in a share of 58th with an opening day 154 (+14).
The final round of action gets underway on Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. (ET) with a split-tee start off of the first and 10th tees. The Irish rotation takes to the course beginning at 8:39 a.m. off of the first tee.
Be sure to check back with und.com to see how Notre Dame fared on the final day of competition.
Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Class - Warren Golf Course - Par 70, 7,023 yards
Top-Five Team Totals (after 36 holes):1. Houston 575 +152. St. Mary's (CA) 578 +183. Texas-Arlington 581 +21T4. Minnesota 582 +22T4. Missouri 582 +22
Top-Four Individuals (after 36 holes):1. Paul McConnell, UT-Arlington 139 -1T2. Andrew Carreon, Notre Dame 140 ET2. Taylor Travis, San Francisco 140 E4. Eric Grimberg, St. Mary's (CA) 141 +1
Notre Dame Standings:6. NOTRE DAME 583 +23T2. Andrew Carreon (I) 140 ET9. Tom Usher 143 +3T11. Max Scodro 144 +4T16. Paul McNamara III 145 +5T35. Ryan Coughlin (I) 149 +9T35. Andrew Lane (I) 149 +9T49. Tyler Wingo (I) 152 +12T54. Niall Platt 153 +13T58. Chris Walker 154 +14T58. Edward Hjerpe (I) 154 +14T64. Patrick Grahek (I) 156 +16T68. Peyton Vitter (I) 159 +19
(I) - represents individual entrant
–ND–