March 17, 2012
STATESBORO, Ga. – After posting a second-day score of 293 (+5) Saturday, the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team finds itself alone in 10th place at the Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club. The Irish hold a two-day score of 582 (+6) overall.
“I’m very disappointed in our scores today,” stated Irish head coach Jim Kubinski. “We had the day’s high round and it was completely around the greens. We had players hit 14, 15 and 16 greens in regulation only to post over-par rounds. When the field average is 73, having four players 74 or higher is a killer.”
Alabama widened the overall margin to 21 strokes over second place, sitting at 537 (-39) after 36 holes of play. Virginia is alone in second place at 18-under par (558), while Auburn claims third at 17 under (559). Individually, Virginia’s Ben Kohles remains in the lead with a score of 131 (-13).
Max Scodro (Chicago, Ill.) remains the pacesetter for the Irish lineup, carding a second round 71 (-1). The Irish senior recorded 15 pars on the day to go along with two birdies and only one bogey. Overall, Scodro is tied for 12th with a 36-hole score of 140 (-4).
Niall Platt (Santa Barbara, Calif.) followed up his opening round 72 (E) with a second round 74 (+2). The sophomore started out hot, carding three birdies with one double bogey on the front, but fell victim to four bogeys while only carding one birdie on the back nine. Overall, Platt is tied for 41st at two over (146).
Chris Walker (The Woodlands, Texas) remains third amongst the Irish rotation, carding a second round 74 (+2) to match Platt. On the day, Walker finished with two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. The Irish senior is tied for 51st overall with a score of 147 (+3).
Tom Usher (Baildon, England) posted the fourth score of the Irish day, carding his own 74 (+2). The senior marked 14 pars, three bogeys and a lone birdie on the par-five, seventh hole. Overall, Usher is tied for 63rd with a 149 (+5).
Paul McNamara III (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) did not count toward the team total after recording his second straight 75 (+3). The junior played the opening eight holes one under par, but marked down four bogeys over the final 10 holes, including back-to-back on holes nine and 10. McNamara sits in a tie for 69th overall at six over par (150).
“We felt we could compete here with the expectation that our team would chip and putt at a high level,” remarked Kubinski. “We haven’t done that yet. I’m waiting for our seniors to step up and create some momentum. I’d like to see them get the younger guys fired up too. We need a couple leaders with some fire in their belly out there. Our team can be very, very good once we get some positive momentum. We need something to get us rolling. I think our seniors can take the lead in that way. It’s their time to step up.”
Notre Dame concludes its tournament Sunday alongside Minnesota and North Carolina State. Tee times get underway at 9:03 a.m. (ET) off of the 10th tee. Check back with UND.com for a final-round recap of the Irish.
Top-Five Teams:1. Alabama 537 -392. Virginia 558 -183. Auburn 559 -17T4. Florida 565 -11T4. UAB 565 -11
Top-Five Individuals:1. Ben Kohles, Virginia 131 -132. Cory Whitsett, Alabama 132 -123. Blayne Barber, Auburn 133 -114. Justin Thomas, Alabama 134 -105. Bobby Wyatt, Alabama 135 -9
Notre Dame Results:10. Notre Dame 582 +6T12. Max Scodro 140 -4T41. Niall Platt 146 +2T51. Chris Walker 147 +3T63. Tom Usher 149 +5T69. Paul McNamara III 150 +6
–ND–