Feb. 17, 2006
TAMPA, Fla. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team will dust off its clubs and head for the sunny skies of the Florida Gulf Coast this weekend for the annual Irish Alumni Matches, to be held Saturday at the Saddlebrook Resort in suburban Tampa. Competition will take place on a pair of Arnold Palmer-designed courses at Saddlebrook — the Palmer Course (par 71/6,641 yards) and the Saddlebrook Course (par 70/6,564 yards).
All 11 members of the 2005-06 Notre Dame squad will be in action at this weekend’s Alumni Matches, which act as a type of exhibition play for the Irish prior to the start of their spring schedule later this month. The format of the Alumni Matches calls for two Irish players to be paired with two alums in five foursomes, with the remaining Irish player combining with three alums for a total of six teams (24 players total). Teams will play 18 holes on Saturday in a unique “best 2-of-4” scoring system, where the best gross score and best net score in each foursome for each hole are counted.
“We’re looking forward to kicking off our spring season this weekend in Tampa,” second-year Notre Dame head coach Jim Kubinski said. “Our players are excited for the opportunity to spend time with Notre Dame alums and have a chance to tune up a bit before our first tournament in Naples the following week. Saddlebrook is a great facility for us to prepare for our season and also to enjoy some warm weather. We’ll look to spend time both competing in the event, and also working on those short game shots that often separate good teams from championship teams.
“This alumni event will be my second as the Notre Dame coach and we have seen great alumni support both last year in Orlando and this year in Tampa,” Kubinski continued. “It just shows the tremendous commitment to Notre Dame that so many graduates out there have. Our program is very appreciative of their support and realizes how special the Notre Dame family really is.”
The Irish are coming off a stellar fall 2005 campaign that saw them post a sharp 292.50 stroke average that included five of a possible 12 team rounds played at par or better. Notre Dame placed no lower than sixth in any of its first four fall tournaments, and rose as high as 12th in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index ratings in mid-October. However, the fall season ended on a bizarre note, as the Irish were disqualified from the season-ending CordeValle Collegiate when two of their tri-captains — senior Scott Gustafson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS) and junior Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian HS) — eliminated themselves after playing incorrect balls during the opening round. The team disqualification (which also counted as an 0-15 record for the event) led to Notre Dame dropping to 46th in both the Golfweek and Golfstat ratings. Prior to that tournament, Notre Dame had a record of 37-18-1 (.670) in its first four events, highlighted by three wins over teams ranked in the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA)/Bridgestone Coaches Poll at tee time (No. 3 Florida, No. 16 Texas and No. 17 Alabama).
Despite the disappointment at CordeValle, Gustafson finished the fall as the low Irish scorer at 72.17, with senior captain Mark Baldwin (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton Prep) not far behind at 72.58, and Isban in third at 72.67. Between them, the formidable trio combined for six top-10 finishes, including two top-five showings, and 19 rounds at par or better during the fall 2005 season. All three also are appearing in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index individual ratings — Gustafson is 42nd, followed by Isban (71st) and Baldwin (79th).
Notre Dame also received a bit of good news on Thursday afternoon, as it earned eight votes in the first GCAA/Bridgestone Coaches Poll of the spring, tying for 37th place if the poll were extended.
The Irish will officially open their 2006 spring schedule Feb. 27-28 when they travel to Naples, Fla., for the second annual Lexus Naples Intercollegiate Invitational, hosted by Peter Jacobsen Productions at the Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club. Among those squads joining Notre Dame in this year’s field will be defending NCAA East Regional champion Wake Forest (ranked as high as 14th nationally) and Big 12 Conference member Baylor (currently ranked 23rd in two of the three polls).
— ND —