Junior Ashley Armstrong posted a three-under-par 69 to tie for second place in the individual competition (76-75-69) at the Mary Fossum Invitational.

Irish Travel To North Carolina For The Tar Heel Invitational This Weekend

Oct. 9, 2013

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — In 2011, the last time the Notre Dame women’s golf team traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the Tar Heel Invitational, the Irish walked away feeling disappointed. Amongst competition that included five top-10 teams, Notre Dame finished 18th-in last place.

Head coach Susan Holt knows this year’s team is looking for a much higher finish.

“This team and all other teams are made up of different players since we last played in this event,” Holt says. “We played poorly at this event last time, and I am confident our players that have a past history on this course will make the necessary adjustments this time around and play better. Our goal every time we play is to finish in the top five.”

The tournament, hosted by the University of North Carolina at the UNC Finley Golf Course from Oct. 11 – 13, includes 17 elite teams from around the country, 11 of which are ranked in the top 25.

With such strong competition in the tournament, Holt, who is in her eighth year of coaching the Irish, says all of the Notre Dame players will need to step up and play their best for three straight days. Each day consists of 18 holes, making this a 54-hole tournament.

Five golfers will be competing in the tournament for the Irish: senior Kristina Nhim, juniors Ashley Armstrong and Kelli Oride, sophomore Talia Campbell and freshman Jordan Ferreira.

The Irish are coming off a seventh-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, where Campbell (73-71-144, +2) and Ferreira (73-71-144) tied for 14th place individually.

Just a few days before that, Armstrong recorded her best 18-hole score of the season during the final day of the Mary Fossum Invitational, posting a three-under-par 69 to tie for second place in the individual competition (76-75-69) and leading the Irish to a third-place finish in the tournament.

The Tar Heel Invitational isn’t the only time the Irish will be stepping off the plane into North Carolina this month-in just two weeks, they will return for the Landfall Tradition, a tournament in Wilmington, N.C.

Holt says this scheduling is no coincidence.

“Our tournament travel schedule is driven by where the competition is going that will put us against top teams and make us better,” she explains. “Testing ourselves against the best teams in the country gives us a true gauge on where our program stands nationally. We will never have a false sense of security and where we stand nationally as long as I am doing the schedule. Challenging ourselves every time we compete is the key to getting better.”

Live scoring of the Tar Heel Invitational will be available at www.GoHeels.com and at Birdiefire.com. You can also keep up with the Irish here at UND.com.

TOURNAMENT COVERAGE:

  • Participating Teams: Alabama (No. 2), Arkansas (No. 6), Auburn, Baylor (No. 18), Clemson, Duke (No. 3), Florida (No. 10), LSU, Michigan State (No. 25), Mississippi, North Carolina (No. 15), NC State (No. 21), Notre Dame, Oklahoma (No. 4), South Carolina, Vanderbilt (No. 8), Virginia (No. 14) and Wake Forest.
  • Location: Chapel Hill, N.C., UNC Finley Golf Course (Par 72; 6,285 yards)
  • Format: Three-day, 54-hole tournament with 18 holes to be played each day.
  • Tee Times: Tee times begin at 9:09 a.m. off no. 1 tee on Oct. 11 and 12. There will be a shotgun start at 9:15 a.m. on Oct. 13.

–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant

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