NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the fifth consecutive season, the Notre Dame women’s golf team will head to Norman, Oklahoma to take part in the Schooner Fall Classic. The three-day tournament will take place on Sept. 28-30 at the Belmar Golf Club.
“This is one of our favorite events of the year,” head coach Susan Holt said. “The field is always super competitive which gives us a chance to play against some of the top ranked teams in the country. The golf course is fun to play, fair and always in great condition.”
Last season, the Irish tied for sixth by shooting an 854 (294-282-278) at the par 71 course with the final round 278 marking the second-lowest team round in the Irish records book. In last season’s second round, then junior Maddie Rose Hamilton fired a six-under par 65 for the lowest round in program history.
Some of that success comes from a veteran team that has enjoyed playing at Belmar.
“The course requires a good strategy,” Holt added. “Getting your tee shot in play on this course is a must and driver is not always the play. Our players do a good job with course management and having a plan of attack and it’s allowed us to have a lot of success on this particular course.”
For the Irish, it will mark their second event of four this fall. On Sept. 11, Notre Dame finished play at the Minnesota Invitational by placing seventh. Freshman Claire Albrecht (75-72-72=219) tied for 14th to lead the team.
“As we work our way though the fall schedule the goal is to improve from one event to the next,” Holt said. “Individually, the areas to improve upon are different and our practice sessions focus on those specific areas. This is a talented group that just needs to capitalize on the great shots hit and minimize the missteps that are going to happen. If we can do that we’ll be competitive every time we compete.”
2018 Schooner Fall Classic
Dates: September 28-30, 2018
Format: 18 holes per day
Tee Times: Begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 9:30 a.m. on Sunday (all times ET).
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Course (Par/Yardage): Belmar Golf Club (par 71/ 6,063 yards)
The Field: Oklahoma (Host), Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, UNC-Wilmington, Wisconsin
Notre Dame Lineup: Claire Albrecht (1), Emma Albrecht (2), Maddie Rose Hamilton (3), Isabella DiLisio (4), Abby Heck (5). Mia Ayer will be playing as an individual entrant.
Coverage: Friday: Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Central, 1-4 p.m. ET; Saturday: None; Sunday: Live stream of Hole No. 18 on SoonerSports.TV
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
Twitter: @NDwomensGolf
Year In Review (2017-18)
- The Irish returned to NCAA Regional play (Madison) and set the program record for lowest season stroke average (293.50).
- Notre Dame posted top-five finishes at the Minnesota Invitational and the Clover Cup, while winning the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational for their first tournament win in two years.
- The Irish also had a strong showing at the Schooner Fall Classic, finishing tied for sixth on the strength of a final round 278 (-6).
- Emma Albrecht earned co-medalist honors at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational.
- Maddie Rose Hamilton set the program record by shooting a second-round 65 (-6) at the event. The -6 also tied for the lowest round in program history in relation to par.
Welcome To The Irish
- Notre Dame added one player to the roster for 2018-19 in freshman Claire Albrecht (Ormond Beach, Florida/Mainland).
- The talented freshman lead the Irish lineup at the Minnesota Invitational.
- Claire is the younger sister of Irish senior Emma Albrecht and they become the fifth pair of sisters to golf for the Irish and first set since Katie (’06) and Annie (’10) Brophy.
Notre Dame Under Holt
- Head Coach Susan Holt has led Notre Dame to 10 NCAA regional appearances in the last 11 seasons, including the first NCAA Championship berth in program history (2011), while lowering the team’s season stroke average by more than 10 strokes since she arrived on the scene in 2006.
- Holt has piloted Notre Dame to four conference titles, 17 total tournament championships and the top 12 single-season stroke averages in the program’s record book, all while guiding Fighting Irish players to 15 medalist honors and 27 all-conference accolades as well as the first two All-America selections in Notre Dame women’s golf history.
- In the classroom, Fighting Irish players under Holt have collected 31 NGCA/WGCA All-Scholar Team citations, 44 conference all-academic team certificates and the first three Academic All-America honors in program history (Ashley Armstrong in 2013, 2014 and 2015).
— ND —