Doug Fortner and the Irish are set to take part in their annual home tournament, the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic.

Irish Tie For Fourth At Gopher Invitational

Sept. 16, 2007

Final Results (PDF)
dot.gifspacer.gifDownload Free Acrobat Reader

WAYZATA, Minn. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team carded an 18-over par 306 during the third and final round of the University of Minnesota Gopher Invitational on Sunday. The Irish finished with a 54-hole total of 891 (+27/294-291-306) and in a tie for fourth place at their season-opening event. The tournament was played at the par-72, 7,020-yard Spring Hill Golf Club.

Lamar University, ranked 16th in the preseason Golf World/Nike Coaches Top 25 poll, won the event with a four-over par 868. Arkansas and Wisconsin tied for second with 890 marks, while Indiana finished even with Notre Dame in fourth out of the 12-team tournament.

Lamar placed three golfers in the top 10 individuals, including tournament co-champion Casey Clendenon. Clendenon and Wisconsin’s Danny Zimmerman both carded one-under par totals of 215. Victor Almstrom from Minnesota placed third with a 216.

Senior Greg Rodgers (Phoenix, Md.) paced Notre Dame with a three-over par 219 (69-74-76) to finish in a two-way tie for seventh among the field of 60 golfers. He was joined in the top 20 by his sophomore teammate Doug Fortner (Tustin, Calif.), who registered a 224 (76-74-74) to conclude the event in 20th place.

Fighting Irish freshman Connor Alan-Lee (Solana Beach, Calif.) entered the day at even par and in ninth place, yet posted a third-round total of 84 to finish in a three-way tie for 26th with a 12-over par 228 (74-70-84). Senior Eddie Peckels (Pinehurst, N.C.) shot a 231 (75-80-76) for the Irish and tied for 37th. Josh Sandman (Greensboro, N.C.), a junior, rounded out the Notre Dame lineup as he carded a 232 (79-73-80) to tie for 39th overall.

Notre Dame returns to the links Sept. 30-Oct. 2 for the second edition of the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic, to be held at the Warren Golf Course on the Notre Dame campus.

— ND —

Gopher Invitational
September 16, 2007 • Wayzata, Minn.
Spring Hill Golf Club (par 72/7,020 yards)

TEAM SCORES (54-hole totals): 1. Lamar 868 (290-286-292); 2t. Arkansas 890 (298-295-297); 2t. Wisconsin 890 (293-289-308); 4t. Indiana 891 (297-295-299); 4t. NOTRE DAME 891 (294-291-306); 6. SMU 898 (304-299-295); 7. Michigan State 903 (306-283-314); 8. Minnesota 909 (308-304-297); 9. San Diego 911 (304-298-309); 10. Illinois 913 (303-295-315); 11. Georgia Southern 935 (312-309-314); 12. Princeton 959 (316-324-319)

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 60): 1t. Casey Clendenon (Lamar) 215 (73-72-70); 1t. Danny Zimmerman (Wisconsin) 215 (66-70-79); 3. Victor Almstrom (Minnesota) 216 (71-74-71); 4t. Hugues Joannes (Lamar) 217 (69-74-74), 4t. Clayton Rask (Minnesota) 217 (74-71-72); 6. Dan Woltman (Wisconsin) 218 (73-68-77); 7t. Andy Paulson (Minnesota) 219 (76-70-73); 7t. Greg Rodgers (Notre Dame) 219 (69-74-76); 9t. Justin Harding (Lamar) 220 (80-69-71); 9t. Andrew Landry (Arkansas) 220 (69-73-78)

NOTRE DAME GOLFERS: 7t. Greg Rodgers 219 (69-74-76); 20. Doug Fortner 224 (76-74-74); 26t. Connor Alan-Lee 228 (74-70-84); 37t. Eddie Peckels 231 (75-80-76); 39t. Josh Sandman 232 (79-73-80)