April 2, 2003
Laredo, Texas – The Notre Dame men’s golf team returns to action on Friday, April 4th when they begin play in the 52nd annual Laredo Border Olympics tournament at the Laredo Country Club. The 20-team tournament, hosted by Texas A&M, features teams from all over the country as it is the nation’s second oldest collegiate golf tournament. This tournament began in 1952 and has an impressive list of past champions including Craig Perks (1990), Ben Crenshaw (1971-73), Tom Kite (1970) and Kermit Zarley (1963). The tournament was played from 1952-1984 at the Casa Blanca Country Club before moving to the par 72, 7,125-yard Laredo Country Club in 1984. Baylor University is the returning champion. The Bears’ Jamie McLeary won last years individual title with a nine-under par 207.
The Teams: The 20 teams participating in the 52nd Border Olympics include: Alabama-Birmingham, Arkansas, Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Iowa State, Kansas State, Lamar, Louisiana-Lafayette, Notre Dame, Rhode Island, San Diego State, Southern Methodist, Southwest Texas State, Texas-Arlington, Texas Tech, Texas-San Antonio, Rice, Washington State.
Dates and Times: The 54-hole Border Olympics see 36 holes played on Friday, April 4th with the final 18 holes scheduled for Saturday, April 5th. Play will begin each day at 8:00 a.m. CST.
Irish Lineup: Coach John Jasinski will use his lineup that features one senior and four freshmen as he has most of the season. Leading the group is team captain, Brandon Lunke (Sr., San Antonio, Texas), who will have a chance to play close to his hometown. Joining him are freshmen Mark Baldwin (Laconia, N.H.), Eric Deutsch (Rochester, Minn.), Scott Gustafson (Eden Praire, Minn.) and Tommy Balderston (Boca Raton, Fla.).
Last Tournament: Freshman Scott Gustafson turned in his best performance of the season last weekend as he tied for sixth at the Johnny Owens Invitational in Lexington, Ky. Gustafson shot a nine-over par 225 (74-72-79) to lead all Irish golfers. As a team, the Irish finished 11th in the 15-team field with a 933 total (313-302-318), 30 strokes off the pace set by tournament champ, Vanderbilt, as the Commodores shot a 903 for 54 holes. Following Gustafson for the Irish were Mark Baldwin, who tied for 35th, with a 235 (79-77-79) and Brandon Lunke who finished 50th with a 238 (78-75-85).
Irish Leaders: Freshman Scott Gustafson moved to the top of the Irish leaderboard with his performance at the Johnny Owens Invitational. He now has a 74.87 average for 23 rounds this season. He is followed by senior Brandon Lunke, who checks in with a 75.29 mark for 17 rounds of play. Mark Baldwin and Tommy Balderston are right on his heels with 75.85 and 75.95 averages respectively. Eric Deutsch owns a 76.30 average after 23 rounds this season.
Tournament Results: Results will be available on the Notre Dame website at und.com after 10:00 p.m. on each day of tournament play.
Next For The Irish: The men’s golf team keeps up its busy April schedule when they Irish travel to Columbus, Ohio to participate in the Robert Kepler Invitational on Sat.-Sun., April 12-13 at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. Play begins each day at 8:00 a.m.