Sept. 8, 2017
| Badger Invitational | |
| When: | Sunday, Sept. 10 – First Round Monday, Sept. 11 – Second Round Tuesday, Sept. 12 – Final Round |
| Where: | Madison, Wis. | The University Ridge Golf Course (Par 72, Yardage 7,259) |
| Team: | Ben Albin, Davis Chatfield, Miguel Delgado, John Felitto, and Davis Lamb |
| Live Scoring: | BirdieFire.com |
| Social: | @NDMensGolf |
| Field: | Butler, Illinois State, (RV) Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Loyola Chicago, Marquette, Nebraska, Nevada, Notre Dame, Oakland, Rutgers, South Dakota State, No. 16 Texas A&M, UAB and host Wisconsin |
MADISON, Wis. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team will still commence their 2017-18 season this weekend, but not in the location they were expecting. The looming threat of Hurricane Irma cancelled Monday’s tournament at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and rerouted the Fighting Irish to Madison, Wisconsin, for Sunday’s Badger Invitational.
The Tournament
The 54-hole tournament, hosted by the University of Wisconsin, will be played at the University Ridge Golf Course (Par 72; Yardage 7,259), with a total of 16 teams competing. It marks the ninth Badger Invitational, dating back to 2000.
University Ridge Golf Course has been ranked third in Golfweek’s list of the top campus courses in each of the past two years, along with hosting the PGA Champions Tour American Family Championship in June in each of the last two years as well.
Sunday’s and Monday’s rounds of the Badger Invitational will get underway at 10 a.m. ET, while Tuesday’s final round will be a shotgun start beginning at 10:30 a.m. Fans can follow along the live stats on BirdieFire.com.
The Fighting Irish Five
Notre Dame head coach John Handrigan held a six-day qualifier in prep for the first fall tournament, with the top-two finishers earning guaranteed spots on this weekend’s team.
The winner of said qualifier, junior Miguel Delgado, will lead fellow junior Ben Albin, sophomores John Felitto & Davis Lamb and freshman Davis Chatfield into battle in Wisconsin.
“I’m extremely excited,” Delgado explained. “Coach Handrigan knows how to communicate well with the team and sets high expectations. It’s exactly what we need. He’s very helpful in identifying what’s wrong with our game.
“Coach is pushing us every day. Some of the freshman coming in will fill some shoes. Everyone is excited to get out there and compete. Coach has really given us confidence. Making NCAA Regionals is extremely feasible for us and that’s what I expect.”
Felitto won the Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge in 2016 and just one month ago, came just shy of qualifying for the Met Amateur Championship final. Last year, Albin netted the fourth best season stroke average (72.65) in school history, winning the Georgetown Intercollegiate, along with a runner-up finish at the Battle of the Warren.
Meanwhile, Lamb led the Irish in three tournaments during the 2016-17 season, finishing with an average of 73.20.
The Field
Butler, Illinois State, (RV) Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago, Marquette, Nebraska, Nevada, Notre Dame, Oakland, Rutgers, South Dakota State, No. 16 Texas A&M, UAB and Wisconsin make up the 16-team field.