July 25, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team and ninth-year head coach Jim Kubinski recently announced the team’s 2012-13 schedule. The slate features a five-tournament fall calendar before the team takes to the course for six events during the spring.
The Irish open up the fall with a brief east coast swing beginning with the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Sept. 15-16). After an off week, the squad return to the coast to take part in the Macdonald Cup that is taking place at the Yale University Golf Club in New Haven, Conn. (Sept. 29-30).
“We’re excited to announce our 2012-13 tournament schedule,” Kubinski expressed. “It sees us competing in some new events this year. We’ll kick it off at North Carolina’s event in Chapel Hill; a place I’ve enjoyed since my days at Duke University. It’s just a great fit in our scheduling, giving us an extra week to prep heading in and also affording us the opportunity to play a strong collegiate course against a solid field.
“Playing at Yale will offer a fresh experience for our players who have not competed in the Northeast and, again, will see us playing one of the more highly ranked collegiate courses in the country. It’s actually one I competed on as a collegiate player, so I’m interested to see what today’s young players can do, given the advances in both equipment and instruction.”
Notre Dame then returns to its home turf to get a three-tournament month of October underway, playing host to the seventh annual Fighting Irish Golf Classic (FIGC) at the Warren Golf Course (Oct. 7-9). An event that not only gives the five-man rotation a test, the FIGC also allows for Kubinski to play all members of the team as individual entrants and provide each a taste of collegiate competition.
“Our home event will see a stronger field this October,” Kubinski remarked. “It will include three Big Ten teams – Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota – and nine different conferences in all will be represented. It’s truly a coast-to-coast field once again.”
After sending individual entrants to the Earl Yestingmeier Invite (Oct. 15-16) at Delaware Country Club in Muncie, Ind., the Irish put a cap on the fall with a return to the eastern seaboard in the Georgetown Intercollegiate at Member Club at Four Streams in Beallsville, Md. (Oct. 22-23).
“We’ll be looking to establish a lineup this fall, with just two players of significant experience returning,” Kubinski explained. “I’d like to see Niall leading the way, especially given his summer of strong play to date. We’ll hope to have Paul healthy and he’s making great strides in that way. From there, I feel we have enough depth to fill out a very competitive lineup. Certainly both Andrew Lane and Andrew Carreon are capable of stepping up, as well as our three sophomores. We’re also adding two talented freshmen this season and a transfer student from Arizona State, David Lowe, who will be competitive from the outset.”
Two busy months await the Irish in the spring season as the team takes part in three tournaments in both March and April. The slate gets underway at the fourth annual The Match Play (March 11-12) as the Irish look to defend their crown from last year.
A quick turnaround awaits as the team heads to Statesboro, Ga., to take part in the Schenkel Invite (March 15-17) for the second straight year to conclude their spring break trip. The event, which takes place at Forest Heights Country Club, saw Notre Dame finish 12th in a talented 14-team field last season. The following weekend, the Irish close out the month with an appearance at the C&F Bank Intercollegiate at Kingsmill Resort (River Course) in Williamsburg, Va., from March 22-24.
Notre Dame heads in to April with a pair of regular season tournaments remaining as the team travels to the Irish Creek Collegiate (April 6-7) at The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis, N.C., before concluding at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 13-14) at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. After closing out the regular season, the Irish take a week off before returning to the Reunion Resort-Watson Course in Orlando, Fla., in search of their third consecutive BIG EAST Championship title (April 28-30).
“I’m hoping what we lack in experience initially will be made up for in excitement and enthusiasm for the challenge,” Kubinski explained. “I look to the winners of the last nine major championships in professional golf going to first time major winners as an example of other factors, beyond experience, playing an important role in a golfer’s success.”
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