April 18, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Notre Dame men’s golf team fell into a tie for ninth place in final-round action Sunday at the 31st annual Ohio State Kepler Intercollegiate, with Irish seniors Willie Kent and Brad Hardin both posting top-20 finishes.
Notre matched its opening-round by posting a 310 on Sunday for a 925 total, tying host Ohio State for ninth place in the 15-team field-just two shots behind Michigan and five behind Miami (Ohio) and Toledo. The Irish headed into the final round tied with Michigan State but the Spartans used a 308 to edge past Notre Dame. Toledo also rocketed past the Irish thanks to a final-round 297.
Northwestern took the team title with a three-round score of 899, besting runner-up Wisconsin by eight shots. Northwestern’s Luke Donald shot a 69 for a 216 total, five shots ahead of runner-up Matt Abbott of Penn State.
Kent used a final round 74 to earn a share of 13th at 226 while Hardin’s final 77 landed him in a tied for 18th at 228. Kent tied for the tournament’s fifth-best scoring on the par-five holes (-2) while Notre Dame as a team ranked eighth with 20 total birdies.
Junior Todd Vernon wrapped up his weekend with a 79 for a 233 total while classmate Jeff Connell completed a disappointing three rounds with an 80 for a 241 total. Freshman Chris Whitten posted an 80 for a 246 total in his first action with the Irish starting five.
NOTES: Kent (74.83) edged ahead of Hardin (75.00) atop the Irish stroke averages chart for 1998-99 (just two shots separate them, over 27 rounds) … Hardin (74.86) still owns the team’s top spring average, followed by Kent (74.86) … other averages for 1998-99 include Connell (75.84) and Vernon (77.41) … Whitten has averaged 80.80 strokes in five rounds this spring … with two regular-season events left to play, Kent (74.63) has slipped to third on the Irish career stroke average list, behind Charles Thurn (74.43, 1956-58) and Joseph Grace (74.56, 1956-58) … Connell (76.09) remains sixth on that list while Vernon (76.15) is seventh … Hardin has dropped his career average to 76.65 (14th-best in Irish history), after entering his senior season with a 78.00 career average … Kent and Hardin’s current 1998-99 averages rank second and third-best at Notre Dame in the 1990s (Vernon averaged 74.59 in 1997-98) … Connell’s current 1998-99 average would rank fifth in the Irish 1990s record book … just four Irish golfers have played more tournaments in the ’90s than Hardin (30): Brian Donohoe (38, ’93-’97), Bryan Weeks (34, ’94-’98), Joe Dennen (34, ’90-’93) and Joel Hepler (33, ’93-’97) … Hardin’s 82 rounds played rank third by an Irish player in the decade, behind Weeks (93) and Donohoe (92) … Hardin also ranks third in rounds counted to team score in the ’90s, with 64 (Weeks had 80, Donohoe 77) … rounds counted to team score in ’98-’99 (of 27): Kent 26, Hardin 25, Connell 21 (of 25) and Vernon 18 … career rounds counted: Kent (39 of 41), Vernon (60 of 71), Connell (50 of 58) and Hardin (64 of 82).
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. Northwestern 301-300-298/899 2. Wisconsin 303-298-306/907 3. Illinois 305-306-299/910 4. Kent 311-295-308/914 5. Michigan 304-310-301/915 6. Miami, Ohio 306-305-309/920 Toledo 308-315-297/920 8. Michigan State 314-301-308/923 9. Notre Dame 310-305-310/925 Ohio State 320-302-303/925 11. Penn State 314-311-301/926 12. Indiana 307-314-306/927 13. Purdue 313-307-309/929 14. Iowa 322-310-315/947 15. Marshall 318-322-318/958
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 75):
1. Luke Donald (NW) 74-73-69/216 2. Matt Abbott (PSU) 77-72-72/221 DA. Points (ILL) 73-76-72/221 4. Jon Mills (WIS) 77-73-72/222 5. C.J. Brock (WIS) 74-72-77/223 6. Chuck Radabaugh (TOL) 73-75-76/224 Albert Hromulak (OSU) 73-75-76/224 John Carlson (WIS) 75-75-74/224 9. Chris Emanuel (OSU) 83-69-73/225 Ryan Miller (PUR) 75-77-73/225 Jess Daley (NW) 75-74-76/225 Jim Lemon (WIS) 77-73-75/225
NOTRE DAME SCORES:
13. Willie Kent 77-75-74/226 18. Brad Hardin 76-75-77/228 36. Todd Vernon 78-76-79/233 60. Jeff Connell 79-82-80/241 70. Chris Whitten 87-79-80/246