March 31, 2016

By Dan Colleran

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team will open April by traveling to Salem, South Carolina to take part in the Clemson Invitational.

The three-round tournament will be played from April 1-3 at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, a par-72 course that was designed by Jack Nicklaus.

“This is a new tournament, so we’ll head out on Thursday to learn the golf course,” Notre Dame Head Coach Jim Kubinski said. “The format being 18 holes each day, rather than a 36-18 format, lends itself to being able to make better adjustments with each round. Our team keeps improving in this way, so we’re looking forward to the weekend.”

The Details
Date
: April 1-3, 2016
Format: 18 holes each day.
Tee Times: Split tee start times begin at 8:45 a.m.
Location: Salem, S.C.
Course: The Cliffs at Keowee Falls
Tournament Field: Boston College, Clemson, Elon, Furman, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Michigan State, Navy, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Notre Dame, Winthrop.
Live Scoring/Leaderboards: GolfStat

On The Tee
— The Irish are expected to start freshman Ben Albin, junior Matthew Rushton, junior Blake Barens, freshman Miguel Delgado and sophomore Thomas Steve.

Coach Kubinski on the lineup ââ’¬¦
“This begins our stretch run. We’ve seen some nice development from Ben, Matt and Blake this season. Miguel has worked hard on making a small adjustment in his game the last few weeks and is gaining comfort each week now. Those four stalwarts are ready to go, with Thomas returning to our lineup and ready to contribute.”

— After posting a 76.21 stroke average in the first semester/fall season (14 rounds), freshman Ben Albin has gotten off to a strong start in the spring season, posting a 72.13 stroke average (eight rounds).

— This weekend’s tournament will be the first edition of the Clemson Invitational and it is the first time the Tigers have hosted a collegiate tournament since 1987 (the McGregor Downs Invitational at the Pickens Country Club).

Additional thoughts from Head Coach Jim Kubinski ââ’¬¦
“For us, given the average college experience per player this year has been about one year, we expected a learning curve. At this point though, we feel we can start to see three and four and, at some point soon, five solid scores in play each day. It’s a matter of developing as players, applying what has been learned and the confidence gained from those factors. We’re on that road, with Clemson being a chance to build upon how we finished up in Texas.”

— ND —

Dan Colleran, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and men’s golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).