April 4, 2014
-THE EVENT
The Irish Creek Collegiate, hosted by Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, April 5-6, The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis, N.C.
-THE LAYOUT
The Club at Irish Creek was designed by PGA TOUR veteran and 1997 PGA Championship winner Davis Love III. The par-71, 7,099-yard layout was voted one of the top 50 best residential courses in America by Golfweek in 2010, and has played host to the PGA TOUR Q-School First Qualifying Stage and the CPGA Toshiba/EMC North Carolina Open.
–KUBINSKI ON THE COURSE
“It’s a fun golf course and good test. The first seven holes or so offer great scoring opportunities, while the holes coming in provide selective chances. Keeping the ball in position is important throughout, as many of the greens can be difficult from the wrong place. If the weather cooperates, I look for good scores.”
-MIXED START
The 54-hole stroke play tournament will be contested over two days, and begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. (ET) on Saturday. The second round is scheduled to start immediately following the conclusion of round one, as play will remain continuous throughout the day. The third and final round will get be contested on Sunday, with tee times beginning off the first and 10th tees at 8:30 a.m.
-A TOTAL OF 16 TEAMS VYING FOR THE TOURNAMENT TITLE
The Irish Creek Collegiate will feature 16 teams teeing it up this week at The Club at Irish Creek. Joining Notre Dame and co-hosts Davidson and Charlotte are Akron, Appalachian State, Duke, East Carolina, Georgia State, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, North Florida, Ohio State, Richmond, UNC Wilmington and Wake Forest.
-STARTING FOR THE IRISHââ’¬¦
Notre Dame’s starting lineup at this weekend’s Irish Creek Collegiate will feature senior tri-captain Niall Platt, junior Patrick Grahek, sophomore Cory Sciupider and freshmen Liam Cox and Matt Rushton.
-TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Results will be posted on the UND Athletic Department Web site (www.UND.com) at the conclusion of each round. Live stats will be available through GolfStat.com.
-LOOKING AHEAD
Notre Dame will serve as a co-host of the Oak Hill Intercollegiate on April 21-22 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After an off week away from tournament competition, the University of Notre Dame men’s golf team resumes its 2014 schedule this weekend at the Irish Creek Collegiate in Kannapolis, N.C. The Irish will appear in the event, co-hosted by Davidson College and Charlotte, at The Club at Irish Creek for the second straight season after placing 15th at the tournament in 2013.
“Our team is excited for a return to competition this weekend,” Notre Dame head coach Jim Kubinski said. “Three of our five starters heading to Irish Creek competed there last year, which is typically a bonus.”
Senior tri-captain Niall Platt (T-47th), junior Patrick Grahek (T-81st) and sophomore Cory Sciupider (T-64th) will each make their second straight start at the Irish Creek Collegiate after competing in the tournament last season.
“Niall and Patrick return again atop our lineup,” Kubinski said. “Both have played consistently well. We’re excited to have sophomore Cory Sciupider, a North Carolina native, back in action after an illness the last couple of weeks. He’ll lead our underclassmen contingent, with freshmen Matt Rushton and Liam Cox in our lineup as well.”
Platt led all Notre Dame finishers at the Lone Star Invitational in San Antonio, Texas on March 24-25, firing his lowest 54-hole score of the spring, 214 (-2), to tie for 12th place. Grahek checked in with a share of 30th place after logging two even par rounds, while Cox and Rushton each posted one round at even par or better during the tournament.
“We’re a building block team right now,” Kubinski said. “We’re making individual improvements all the time, which will have an impact on our team scores as we grow. Our boys are in a good place, confident and determined, to string rounds together. It’s an exciting time for us.
“Too often observers feel a particular result is an end product,” he added. “We’re not an end product. We’re a team working hard and starting to believe in each other. I’m excited for what we can do with this mind set.”
–ND–