Oct. 7, 2005
2005 Coca-Cola Duke Classic
Sunday-Monday, Oct. 9-10, 2005
8:30 a.m. (EDT) both days
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
Par 72/7,100 yards
Durham, N.C.
Irish Face Another Challenge At Coca-Cola Duke Classic After getting off to one of its best starts in four decades, Notre Dame returns to action Sunday and Monday at the Coca-Cola Duke Classic, to be held in Durham, N.C., at the par-72, 7,100-yard Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. The Irish will be making their first-ever appearance in Duke’s tournament and returning to the Duke course for the first time since finishing 17th at the 1962 NCAA Championships. Notre Dame has jumped into the top 20 in both the Golfweek (12th) and Golfstat (19th) rankings and is receiving votes in the GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll after posting top-six finishes in its first two tournaments (both ranked among three hardest events so far this season by Golfstat). The Irish, who also have three players in the top 75 of the Golfweek rankings, own a 294.17 stroke average thus far, second only to a 291.00 mark that the 1999-2000 Notre Dame squad debuted with in season-opening wins at the Air Force Invitational and Legends of Indiana.
Quoting Coach Kubinski ? “This weekend’s Coca-Cola Duke Classic provides yet another great opportunity for our team to compete against a tremendous field on a great golf course. We’re riding a wave of momentum coming off some nice outings at both Minnesota to start and then Shoal Creek last week. Of course, this week’s announcement of our national rankings has further buoyed our spirits and strengthened our resolve. The guys are really fired up to have this chance again. I’m sure Cole (Isban) has a great deal of confidence from his tremendous performance in Alabama. Our seniors (Mark Baldwin, Scott Gustafson and Eric Deutsch) are playing with renewed confidence and a sense of competitiveness that any coach would be proud of. I also feel Greg Rodgers, our talented sophomore, is ready for a breakthrough performance.”
Dates and Times Teams will play two rounds (36 holes) on Sunday, with the opening round teeing off via a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. EDT (7:30 a.m. EST/CDT in South Bend). The second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of round one. Competitors will then return to the course Monday at 8:30 a.m. EDT for the final round, with tee times based upon the tournament standings through the first two rounds.
Tournament Results No live scoring will be available for Coca-Cola Duke Classic. However, complete results following each day’s action will be posted on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com). In addition, all the latest information on the Irish is available on the Notre Dame Sports Hotline (574-631-3000). Callers should select option #9, then press #2 for updates on the tournament, including any weather or scheduling delays.
The Tournament Format A total of 15 five-man teams (75 participants, with the possibility of some teams fielding additional golfers on an individual basis) will be participating in the Coca-Cola Duke Classic. Conventional collegiate golf team scoring rules will apply, with the lowest four scores in the five-man lineup for each round counting toward the team total. Scores by golfers competing on an individual basis do not count to the team total.
The Teams Besides Notre Dame and host Duke, the remaining teams in the Coca-Cola Duke Classic field are: Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Florida Southern, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Ohio State, UNC Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, Virginia and Virginia Tech. According to the latest GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll (released Oct. 7), two Top 25 teams will be competing in this weekend’s tournament – No. 5 Duke and No. 17 Minnesota. Besides Notre Dame (36 votes, tied for 33rd if the poll were extended), seven other squads presently are receiving votes in that poll – Coastal Carolina, North Carolina, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, Charlotte, Virginia and Ohio State. Combined, these 10 teams make up two-thirds of the field at the Coca-Cola Golf Classic. Meanwhile, the first ratings in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index have been unveiled and 11 of the top 50 teams will be competing this weekend at Duke. Leading the way is No. 5 Minnesota, followed by the seventh-ranked host Blue Devils, No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 20 North Carolina, No. 21 Coastal Carolina, No. 27 North Carolina State, No. 28 Virginia Tech, No. 40 Virginia, No. 42 Ohio State, No. 43 Charlotte and No. 45 Northwestern. In addition, the first Golfstat rankings of the 2005-06 season were released Oct. 4 and there are five of this weekend’s participants appearing in that service’s Top 25. Minnesota and Duke are at the top of the list, ranking sixth and seventh, respectively, while Notre Dame is 19th, Coastal Carolina checks in at No. 21 and Virginia Tech is slotted 25th. Through its first two tournaments of the season, Notre Dame has seen only three of the teams it will face this weekend at Duke. The Irish defeated UNC Wilmington by 53 shots at the Gopher Invitational and topped North Carolina State by seven strokes at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate. At the same time, Notre Dame ended up 10 shots back of Minnesota at the Gopher Invitational.
The Course The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club was originally designed by legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones and opened to the public in 1957. It later underwent a nearly one-year major restoration, designed by Jones’ son Rees, with the modified course opening in 1994. It has been the site of two NCAA Championships (1962 and 2001), one during each of its design phases. Situated on 120 acres inside the Duke campus, the par-72, 7,100-yard course features several unique elevation changes as part of its mildly rolling terrain. Several acres of tall pines and hardwoods also dot the landscape near the accompanying Washington Duke Inn, which opened in 1988 and has 271 rooms.
Last Tournament – Shoal Creek Intercollegiate Notre Dame fired a final-round 293 to finish sixth overall at the inaugural Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, which took place Sept. 26-27 in Birmingham, Ala., at the legendary Shoal Creek Golf Club (par 72/7,114 yards). The Irish carded a 54-hole score of eight-over par 872 (291-288-293), matching the fifth-lowest mark in school history and best on a regulation course since logging an 863 at the 2003 Nelson Invitational. In addition, Notre Dame placed ahead of two ranked opponents at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, besting No. 3 Florida by two shots (seventh place, 874) and No. 17 Alabama by 19 strokes (11th place, 891). The Irish nearly topped a third Top 25 foe, ending up two shots behind 14th-ranked Georgia State (fifth place, 870). With the two wins over ranked opponents, Notre Dame now has bettered seven Top 25 teams since Jim Kubinski took over as head coach in January 2005. Individually, junior Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) finished in a three-way tie for first place, carding a career-best six-under par 210 (69-69-72), a mark that also ties for the second-lowest 54-hole score in school history (209 by Jeff Connell at the 1998 Marshall Invitational). Isban wound up bowing out on the first hole of a playoff with East Tennessee State’s Rhys Davies (a 2005 Walker Cup representative from Wales) and Tennessee’s Jonathan Mount. Davies and Mount eventually shared medalist honors after remaining deadlocked through four playoff holes. Despite falling the playoff, Isban’s first-place showing was the best of his career, topping the runner-up finish he earned at the 2004 Prestige at PGA WEST. Also, Isban’s 36-hole mark of 138 was a career-best, two shots ahead of his old mark of 140 at the 2003 Nelson Invitational. In fact, it was the best two-round score by a Notre Dame golfer since Steve Ratay shot a 137 (66-71) at the 2001 Xavier Provident Invitational. Senior Mark Baldwin (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton Prep) earned a tie for 14th place at two-over par 218 (73-72-73), his best score in a competitive tournament since he fired another 218 at the 2004 Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational. Behind Baldwin was senior Eric Deutsch (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes), who ended up tied for 32nd place at four-over par 222 (74-73-75), and classmate Scott Gustafson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), who rose up to tie for 38th place at five-over par 223 (75-74-74). Sophomore Greg Rodgers (Phoenix, Md./St. Paul’s School) saved his best round for last, garnering a share of 57th place at 13-over par 229 (76-79-74).
Thumbnails On The Irish Lineup Cole Isban (72.33 stroke average; first on team) – Currently ranked No. 31 in nation by Golfweek ? posted career bests with first-place tie and 210 (-6) score at 2005 Shoal Creek Intercollegiate ? has 70.8 stroke average in past five rounds since carding a first-round 80 (+8) at season-opening Gopher Invitational ? has started 27 of a possible 28 tournaments in his two-plus seasons at Notre Dame (only miss: 2004 Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational when starters were rested prior to NCAA Central Regional) ? has not placed lower than 30th in his last 15 tournaments dating back to the 2004 NCAA Central Regional (tie-97th place) ? has been exceptionally reliable, as 70 of his 76 collegiate rounds (.921) have counted towards the team score – the third-best percentage by an Irish golfer in the past 15 seasons (1990-present) ? career 74.50 stroke average ranks third in school history (74.43 by Charles Thurn, 1956-58) ? led team with 74.17 stroke average last year (sixth-lowest season mark in school history) ? 2005 PING/All-Midwest Region selection (first Irish player to earn regional or national accolades since 1980) ? two-time all-BIG EAST Conference honoree (2004, 2005) ? has qualified for past two U.S. Amateur Championships. Mark Baldwin (72.83; second on team) – Presently ranked 50th in nation by Golfweek ? tied for 10th (219, +3) at season-opening Gopher Invitational ? tied for 14th (218, +2) at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate ? has ended up 20th or higher in eight of his last 10 events (seven times in 2005 calendar year) ? has seen 28 of his last 30 rounds (.933) counted towards the team score ? has five career top-10 finishes, with four of those coming in little more than one year ? shared team-high stroke average honors last spring (74.76) ? shot school and Warren Golf Course-record 63 (-7) in opening round of TCU dual match oon April 9, 2005 ? two-time all-BIG EAST choice (2003, 2005). Scott Gustafson (73.50; third on team) – Currently 75th-ranked player in nation by Golfweek ? showing signs of returning to form that made him Notre Dame’s No. 1 golfer in 2002 and 2003 ? led team with 218 (+2) at Gopher Invitational, his 12th career team-leading finish (fourth in school history) ? was his sixth career top-10 finish and best showing since a third-place finish at the 2003 SMU/Stonebridge Invitational ? also played 100th collegiate round in final circuit at Gopher Invitational ? was hampered much of last year by arm injury suffered in fall 2004 automobile accident ? second among Irish veterans with 75.44 career stroke average, which is 10th in school history ? 2003 all-BIG EAST selection. Greg Rodgers (76.33; fifth on team) – Tied for 57th (229, +13) in his season debut at Shoal Creek Intercollegiate ? had three top-10 finishes during his freshman season ? earned team-high scoring honors on two occasions (Windon Memorial Classic, Irish Spring Invitational) ? best finish was a tie for 14th at the Irish Spring Invitational ? fired a career-low 69 in the second round at the Windon Memorial Classic ? career-best 216 came at The Nelson Invitational (Stanford Golf Course played as par-69 due to renovations). Eric Deutsch (75.83; fourth on team) – Wily veteran who has come up big in clutch situations ? owns 76.33 career stroke average ? has four career top-10 finishes and two top-five placements ? was Notre Dame’s top finisher at NCAA Central Regional the past two seasons (tie for 27th in 2004; tie for 20th in 2005) ? final-round 68 at ’05 Central Regional was a school record and helped Irish charge into contention for berth in NCAA Championships (ND finished two shots out of a playoff) ? two-time all-BIG EAST selection (2004, 2005) ? was one of three Notre Dame golfers to qualify for 2005 U.S. Amateur.
Next Up For The Irish Notre Dame has a quick turnaround as it heads to the West Coast Oct. 17-18 for The Prestige at PGA WEST, to be held in La Quinta, Calif., at PGA WEST’s Greg Norman Course. The Irish competed in this same tournament last year, tying for 10th place at 934 (+70). Cole Isban posted a (then) career-best second-place finish at 219 (+3), having led much of the way during the event. Once again, Stanford and UC Davis will serve as co-hosts for this year’s Prestige at PGA WEST. Three teams currently ranked in the GCAA/Bridgestone Top 25 poll are scheduled to compete in the tournament – No. 9 BYU, No. 13 UCLA and No. 16 Texas.