March 26, 2015
LSU Tiger Classic
Dates: March 27-29, 2015
Format: 54 holes (18 holes each day)
Tee Times: 9:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. CT each day (split-tee starts on Friday-Saturday; shotgun start on Sunday)
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Course (Par/Yardage): The University Club (par 72/6,251 yards)
Tournament Field (current Golfstat ranking): Colorado (40), Denver (47), Kentucky (56), LSU (6), Mississippi State (11), Missouri (81), North Carolina (54), North Carolina State (33), Notre Dame (30), Oklahoma (61), TCU (55), Texas-San Antonio (93), Tulane (26), UCF (21), UNC Wilmington (114) and Wake Forest (10).
Notre Dame Lineup (2014-15 stroke average): Talia Campbell (73.11), Ashley Armstrong (73.61), Jordan Ferreira (73.94), Kelli Oride (75.56), Kari Bellville (76.61).
Live Scoring: www.golfstat.com
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — In a sport such as golf that is measured by yards, it can be inches that are just as critical. An inch off the sweet spot on a tee shot, or an inch either way on a putt and a round with promise and potential can devolve into a scorecard covered in the darkness of black numbers.
For the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team, those inches will be key as the Fighting Irish continue their spring season and aim to build momentum towards the postseason this weekend in the LSU Tiger Classic, hosted by LSU at the University Club (par 72/6,251 yards) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Notre Dame rose to No. 30 in the latest Golfstat rankings following its third consecutive top-three finish, placing second at its own Clover Cup on March 15 in Mesa, Arizona. It marked just the second time in program history the Fighting Irish strung together three consecutive top-three showings, and the first since the fall of 2008, when they took third in the Mary Fossum Invitational, won the Heather Farr Memorial in a playoff and ended up third at the Lady Northern Invitational.
However, satisfaction was relative for Notre Dame in the wake of the Clover Cup, as the Fighting Irish realized they could have posted an even better finish, leaving several shots at both the tee box and on the green. It’s clear evidence of the higher expectations that have become commonplace with the Notre Dame women’s golf program, the notion that growth and development with each successive tournament are just as valuable as a lofty team finish.
This weekend’s LSU Tiger Classic offers another opportunity for the Fighting Irish to gauge their progress. With three tournaments and only a month remaining before the NCAA selects the participants for this year’s regionals (one of which is being played at Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course), the Fighting Irish know every event is important to enhance their resume in the eyes of the NCAA selection committee.
“For us we need to capitalize on our approach shots and make more birdie putts,” Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt said. “I have challenged the team with a short-term goal of breaking into the top 25 before regionals. The strength of our schedule in our last three events (LSU, Wake Forest and ACC) will allow us to do so with solid play.”
Four of the participants in this weekend’s LSU Tiger Classic are ranked in the top 25 of the latest Golfstat ratings, led by the hosts at No. 6. Another five squads in the 16-team field, including Notre Dame, are among the Golfstat Top 50, making the tournament one of the strongest on the Fighting Irish schedule and its most challenging since their fall finale at the Landfall Tradition.
This will mark the fifth time, and second consecutive season, Notre Dame has participated in the LSU Tiger Classic. Last year, the Fighting Irish placed 11th in the 15-team event, while their best finish came in 2012, when they finished 10th.
“We are looking forward to returning to LSU,” Holt said. “This is always been a tournament that has a good field for us to compete in this time of year. This field will allow us to see where we are relative to some of the best teams in the country. In addition, this is a challenging golf course that makes you earn a good score. You have to get your tee ball in play on this course, and by doing so, it really sets up the holes and makes them more playable.”
LSU will offer live scoring of the Tiger Classic through the Golfstat web site (www.golfstat.com), while daily recaps on Notre Dame’s progress will be posted on the official Fighting Irish athletics web site (UND.com).
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director