Junior Lisa Maunu and the Fighting Irish are two shots off the lead in the pursuit of their third straight victory.

Irish Win Cougar Classic With School-Record Score

Sept. 11, 2007

Complete Results in PDF Format
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HANAHAN, S.C. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team opened the 2007-08 season in stellar fashion by topping four top-25 teams en route to winning the College of Charleston’s Cougar Classic. The Irish posted a school-record three-round score of 870 (+6) at the par 72, 6,159-yard Yeamans Hall Golf Club. Junior Lisa Maunu (St. Thomas, Ontario/Parkside Collegiate Institute) made it a clean sweep for Notre Dame by capturing medalist honors for the first time in her career with a program-record total of 210 (-6).

The Irish entered the third and final round on Tuesday in second place, three shots behind No. 14 Tennessee, out of the 20-team field. Notre Dame posted a three-over par 291, which was tied with Alabama for the top round of the day, to edge out a one-shot victory over Tennessee. Texas and No. 24 Alabama tied for third with identical 875 scores and LSU rounded out the top five with an 883.

North Carolina entered the tournament ranked 21st nationally and finished tied for sixth, while No. 19 Texas A&M concluded the event 11th.

The team victory marked the 21st in program history and the first under second-year head coach Susan Holt. By topping the 103-golfer field, Maunu became the 11th Notre Dame women’s golfer to win a tournament. The overall team score of 870 shattered the previous school-best 54-hole mark of 889 from the 2003 Cougar Classic.

“I knew we were better than last year, but I couldn’t be sure of how good we were until we competed,” said Holt. “We wanted to use this tournament as a measuring stick and I sure like how we look right now. We had a good first day and we backed it up the rest of the way.”

It was a record-setting tournament for Maunu, who carded a school-record round of 66 (-6) on Sunday en route to posting a program standard for 54 holes of play with a six-under par 210 (66-74-70).

“Lisa played really, really well,” stated Holt. “She was steady and hit the ball really well. I thought the entire team hit the ball well. It’s exciting because the team set some high goals for this season and it’s a testament to them that they are playing up to them. The goals are attainable and they can go as far as they want to go.”

Irish freshman So-Hyun Park (Seoul, South Korea/Bradenton Prep (FL)) had a fine collegiate debut as she finished second behind her teammate Maunu. Park’s 213 (70-69-74) total even topped the old team mark of 215, which was achieved by Noriko Nakazaki during the 2005-06 season.

Notre Dame sophomore Annie Brophy (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) finished the tournament with a six-over par 222 and tied for 27th overall. She opened the event with a 75 and lowered that score by one shot each of the next two days. Her classmate Kristin Wetzel (Middletown, N.Y./Hilton Head Prep (SC)) did the same by shooting rounds of 76, 75 and 74 for a career-best 225 total to place in a tie for 42nd. Freshman Katie Conway (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) had a solid performance in the first tournament of her college career. She carded a 231 (78-75-78) to tie for 64th.

The Fighting Irish return to action when they tee it up at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Cup in Louisville, Ky. on Sept. 17 & 18. The tournament will take place at the Cardinal Club.

Full results of the Cougar Classic are available at Golfstat.com and at CofCSports.com. For additional information please log on to und.com or call the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.

Cougar Classic (Yeamans Hall Golf Club – Hanahan, S.C., Par 72, 6,159-yards)

Final Team Scores (54-hole totals): 1. Notre Dame 870 (287-292-291), 2. Tennessee 871 (288-288-295), 3t. Texas 875 (288-293-294), 3t. Alabama 875 (286-298-291), 5. LSU 883 (286-299-298), 6t. North Carolina 889 (295-291-303), 6t. South Carolina 889 (291-298-300), 8. Florida State 890 (292-299-299), 9. North Carolina State 892 (294-291-307), 10. Furman 893 (301-295-297), 11. Texas A&M 897 (297-299-301), 12. Mississippi State 900 (299-303-298), 13. Maryland 907 (304-303-300), 14. Miami 910 (297-301-312), 15t. College of Charleston 912 (301-303-308), 15t. South Florida 912 (299-300-313), 17. UNC Greensboro 922 (303-303-316), 18. Mississippi 925 (306-311-308), 19. Penn State 939 (302-327-310), 20. Richmond 970 (328-328-314)

Top-6 Golfers (54-hole totals): 1. Lisa Maunu (Notre Dame) 210 (66-74-70), 2. So-Hyun Park (Notre Dame) 213 (70-69-74), 3. Marci Turner (Tennessee) 214 (69-71-74), 4t. Benedicte Toumpsin (South Carolina) 215 (71-73-71), 4t. Dori Carter (Mississippi) 215 (72-72-71), 4t. Angela Oh (Tennessee) 215 (73-70-72)

Notre Dame Scores 54-hole totals): 1. Lisa Maunu 210 (66-74-70), 2. So-Hyun Park 213 (70-69-74), 27t. Annie Brophy 222 (75-74-73), 42t. Kristin Wetzel 225 (76-75-74), 64t. Katie Conway 231 (78-75-78)