Oct. 12, 1999
MASON, Ohio – Sophomore Steve Ratay (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey HS) and the Notre Dame men’s golf team continued their strong fall season by placing third Tuesday at the 19-team Xavier Provident Invitational, held at the par-71, 6,808-yard Grizzly Tournament Course at the Golf Center at Kings Island.
Notre Dame-which opened the fall with first-place finishes at the Air Force Invitational and the Legends of Indiana Intercollegiate-failed to close the gap in Tuesday’s third and final round, after sitting just four strokes off the lead following Monday’s opening two rounds of play.
The Irish closed with a round of 295 in the play-five, count-four format, yielding an 872 total that trailed only Michigan (292-281-292/865) and Marshall (289-285-293/867) in the 19-team field.
Ratay-who served as Notre Dame’s fifth man last spring before placing 11th at Air Force and winning The Legends of Indiana this fall-used steady rounds of 71-70-72 to finish tied for fifth in the 100-player Xavier field. His even-par 213 total represents the fourth-best 54-hole score by an Irish golfer since stroke play began in 1963.
The Irish received strong individual contributions from all five players, particularly in the second round when the team carded two 70s and two 71s while throwing out a 72. Senior captain Todd Vernon just missed his third top-10 finish of the fall, tying for 12th with rounds of 73-71-73 (217). Senior Jeff Connell returned to form after being hampered at The Legends with a wrist injury, tying for 20th with a 219 total (74-71-74). Juniors Alex Kent (77-70-77/224) and Adam Anderson (77-72-77/225) rounded out the strong team showing.
Notre Dame’s impressive start represents the first time in the program’s history that an Irish squad has finished among the top three in three straight intercollegiate tournaments.
The strong start also provides a huge boost to Notre Dame’s hopes for securing the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 1966. The Irish were in the running for NCAA bids during each of the past two seasons, but had to rally in the spring after sub-par fall performances.
TEAM NOTES: Notre Dame’s second-round 282 (-2) was the second-best round of the entire tournament (Michigan shot 281 on Monday afternoon) and is the second-best round in team history, trailing the 13-under 275 shot in the first round this fall at Air Force … the two-under 282 is the program’s third-best round in relation to par, also trailing a four-under 284 at The Legends in the spring of ’95 … the 872 total (+20) is the third-best 54-hole score in team history, behind the four-over 868 at Air Force and the 26-over 866 at the Kent Collegiate last spring … the 20-over par team total ties for sixth in team history (in relation to par) … as a team, Notre Dame is averaging an impressive four-man score of 290.89 (72.72 per counted score), well on pace to best the team record of 298.33 set in 1997-98.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Ratay’s 213 has been bested just three times by Irish golfers in intercollegiate competition: Connell shot a four-under 209 at the Marshall Invitational in the spring of 1998 and a four-under 212 at the Kentucky Invitational last spring while Vernon matched that score earlier this fall at Air Force Invitational (each of the above efforts is tied for the best Irish 54-hole score, in relation to par) … Ratay’s finish is one of just five all-time Irish 54-hole results at even-par or better (Brian Donohoe shot at even 216 at The Legends in the spring of ’97) … Ratay joins Connell as the only golfers in the Notre Dame record book with two career 54-hole tournaments at par or better … Ratay leads the Irish with a 71.78 stroke average over nine rounds this fall (he also shot 219 at Air Force and 214 at The Legends), sitting just over the adjusted season par of 71.67 … Vernon is second during the fall with a 71.89 average, followed by Kent (73.67), Connell (75.13) and Anderson (75.67) … Ratay and Vernon have counted to the team score in all nine rounds this fall, followed by Kent (7), Anderson (7) and Connell (5, of 8) … Vernon dropped his career stroke average from 75.57 to 75.44, remaining fifth-best in recorded team history (since 1954) … Connell remains sixth on that list, dropping from 76.00 to 75.88 … Vernon has counted to the Irish four-man score in 75 of 86 career rounds-third-most at Notre Dame during the 1990s (’98 grad Bryan Weeks counted in 80 rounds while ’97 grad Brian Donohoe counted 77 times) … Connell has counted in 60 of 72 career rounds, good for seventh at Notre Dame in the ’90s.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (54 holes): 1. Michigan 292-281-292/865, 2. Marshall 289-285-293/867, 3. Notre Dame 295-282-295/872, 4. Kentucky 298-283-294/875, 5. Iowa 290-292-297/879, 6. Ohio 306-291-289/886, Cincinnati 306-291-289/886, 8. Eastern Michigan 291-298-299/888, 9. Miami of Ohio 299-294-296/889, Indiana 296-294-299/889, 11. Ball State 306-291-293/890, 12. Xavier 299-290-308/897, 13. Wright State 306-300-292/898, 14. Louisville 297-298-306/901, 15. Western Kentucky 298-302-304/904, Georgetown 304-300-300/904, 17. Akron 301-307-308/916, 18. Dayton 311-303-303/917, 19. Bowling Green 311-308-309/928.
TOP INDIVIDUALS of 100: 1. Jim Herman (CIN) 69-67-73/209, 2. Aaron Williams (MAR) 69-68-72/209, A.J. Riley (MAR), 4. Bake Johnson (MIA) 74-65-72/211, 5. Steve Ratay (ND) 71-70-72/213, Jason Wombacher (IOWA) 70-71-72/213, 7. Chris Campbell (LOU) 69-74-71/214, Andrew Matthews (MICH) 74-68-72/214, Steve Wheatcroft (IND) 70-70-74/214, 10. Michael Harris (MICH) 73-69-74/216, John Beckettt (KY) 73-71-721/216.
OTHER ND SCORES: 12. Todd Vernon 73-71-73/217, 20. Jeff Connell 74-71-74/219, Alex Kent 77-70-77/224, 44. Adam Anderson 77-72-76/225.