Oct. 1, 2000
URBANA, Ill. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team-paced by another strong showing from junior captain Steve Ratay-surged on Sunday to an 11th-place finish at the Northern Intercollegiate, with Saturday’s rough first round ultimately costing the Irish a top-five finish.
Saturday’s second round was suspended due to darkness and completed Sunday morning, with Notre Dame posting a 301 to move up from 17th to 15th with a 612 total. The Irish then turned in the second-best closing round in the 18-team field, posting a 296 at the par-72, 7,118-yard Stone Creek Golf Club to vault into 11th at 908-just one stroke back of Penn State and two shots out of seventh.
Notre Dame bested perennial national power Ohio State by six strokes while also finishing ahead of Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Ball State and Akron.
Ratay-who shared medalist honors at the season-opening Wisconsin Invitational-posted his sixth top-10 finish in the last 13 outings by tying for eighth in the 90-player field, with rounds of 76-71-74 for a five-over 221.
Senior Alex Kent used strong closing rounds of 75-72 for a 226 total and a share of 21st while his classmate Pat Schaffler closed with a 74 for a 230 total. Granger native and Mishawaka Marian product Gavin Ferlic counted to the Irish four-player score in his final two rounds (77-76, for a 235 total) while sophomore Brandon Lunke rounded out the Irish contingent at 78-81-238.
Purdue closed with rounds of 298-300 to hold off Iowa by four strokes (889-893) for the team title while Penn State’s Matt Abbott (70-71-74/215) claimed medalist honors by a four-stroke cushion over Marshall’s Aaron Williams (72-74-73).
NOTES: Ratay’s second-round 71 tied for the fifth-best round of the entire tournament (there were two 70s, plus a 68 and 69) … Ratay-who shot 212 at the Wisconsin Invitational and 225 at the Minnesota Invitational-has sprinted out to a 73.11 season stroke average, which ranks just ahead of the ND record (73.13, by Joe Grace in 1955-56) … his impressive run during the past two seasons includes a 74.19 average and 26 of 28 rounds counted to the team score (in 13 events), with 10 sub-par rounds (four this fall) and four rounds of par (one this fall) … Ratay’s last two fall seasons have yielded seven impressive finishes: 11th, 1st, 5th, 2nd, 1st, 4th and 8th (he has averaged 72.35 over the last two falls while counting to the team score in all 20 rounds during that span) … Ratay’s 75.50 career stroke average ranks 7th in ND history and 3rd-best since 1970 (just behind the 75.41 posted by 2000 graduate Todd Vernon) … Ratay and Kent (75.22) have counted to the team score in all five rounds this fall, with the other player stats including: Schaffler (77.00, 5-of-6 rounds counted), freshman Peter Rivas (77.83, 5-of-6), Lunke (78.22, 6-of-9), Ferlic (78.33, 2-of-3) and senior Adam Anderson (80.00, 0-of-3).
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (54 holes):
1. Purdue 291-298-300/8892. Iowa 298-291-304/8933. Michigan 305-294-298/897 Indiana 293-302-302/8975. Miami (Ohio) 291-306-303/9006. Wisconsin 292-301-310/9037. Illinois 298-296-312/906 Marshall 297-301-308/906 Xavier 304-297-305/90610. Penn State 302-299-306/90711. Notre Dame 311-301-296/90812. Ohio State 301-300-313/91413. Kentucky 306-305-304/915 Michigan State 301-306-308/91515. Louisville 304-296-316/91616. Western Kentucky 308-309-305/92217. Ball State 312-309-303/92418. Akron 308-307-314/929.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 1. Matt Abbott (PSU) 70-71-74/215, 2. Aaron Williams (MAR) 72-74-73/219, Lee Curry (MIA) 71-73-75/219, Tim Smith (XAV) 70-73-76/219, 5. Lee Williamson (PUR) 74-73-73/220, Mike Castleforte (IND) 70-74-76/220, Ryan Barauskas (PUR) 71-74-75/220, 8. Steve Ratay (ND) 76-71-74/221, Steve Wheatcroft (IND) 74-76-71/221, Andrew Matthews (MICH) 77-68-76/221, Tyler Stith (IOWA) 74-71-76/221.
NOTRE DAME SCORES: 21. Alex Kent 79-75-72/226, 41. Pat Schaffler 77-79-74/230, 67. Gavin Ferlic 82-77-76/235, 76. Brandon Lunke 79-78-81/238.