Aug. 29, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s golf team will open the 2015-16 season on Sunday by playing host to the Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge at the Warren Golf Course.
The Details
Date: Aug. 30, 2015
Format: 36 holes Tee
Time: 8:50 a.m.
Location: Notre Dame, Ind.
Course: The Warren Golf Course (Par-71, 7,023 Yards)
Tournament Field: Indiana University — Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Notre Dame and Toledo
On The Tee
— The Irish are expected to play all 10 members of the team, including a probable starting five of juniors Matthew Rushton and Blake Barens, senior Cory Sciupider as well as freshmen Ben Albin and Miguel Delgado.
— With Albin and Delgado in the lineup, it will be the first time in over seven years Notre Dame has started two freshmen in a season-opening tournament.
— Freshman Kevin Conners is also expected to make his Irish debut.
— It will mark the second consecutive season that Notre Dame starts the year at home in the Kickoff Challenge. Last season at the inaugural 2014 Kickoff Challenge, the Irish carded team rounds of 281-280-561 (-7) to win the event by 19 strokes over IUPUI (286-294-580) and 25 shots over Ball State (293-293-586). Patrick Grahek carded the low score in the Notre Dame lineup, firing a first round four-under-par 67 before turning in an afternoon round of two-under 69. Grahek (67-69-136) shared tournament medalist honors with IUPUI’s Santiago Ruiz (70-66-136) at six-under-par.
— The one-day, two-round event will serve as a primer for a busy fall slate that includes six tournaments, culminating in a trip to Ireland for The Jerry Murray/Notre Dame Invitational. After the Kickoff Challenge, Notre Dame will have the following weekend off before venturing to face an ACC foe for the first time (Sept. 12-13) at the Rod Myers Invitational, hosted by Duke University, at the Duke Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina.
— Following the trip to Durham, Notre Dame returns to the Warren Golf Course to host its signature Fighting Irish Golf Classic (Sept. 21-22). The tournament returns exclusively to the Warren in 2015 after being split across Notre Dame’s home course and Lost Dunes Golf Club in Bridgeman, Michigan last September.