Aug. 10, 2015
2015-16 Notre Dame Women’s Golf Schedule
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s golf team posted the best stroke average in school history (296.60) last season, so it would make sense for the Fighting Irish to keep much of the same schedule in place this year. However, Notre Dame also came up six strokes shy of advancing to the NCAA Championships, leading head coach Susan Holt to make a few adjustments to the 2015-16 schedule in an effort to push the Fighting Irish that extra yard needed to send Notre Dame back to the NCAA finals for the first time since 2011.
The Fighting Irish will play 10 regular-season tournaments this year, including eight events they played last season, as part of a rugged schedule Holt announced today. The 10-tournament slate is one more than last season and it’s highlighted by the fifth annual Clover Cup, Notre Dame’s spring tournament that is set for March 11-13 at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.
“I’m really looking forward to our schedule this year,” Holt said. “We have our standard events including our own Clover Cup, as well as trips to Michigan State, UNC Wilmington and LSU, and some recent repeat events like Oklahoma and Wake Forest. We’re also excited to return to Louisville after a long absence and this will be our first time playing in Nebraska’s tournament.
“This is a schedule that has good balance for us,” she added. “I think we will be challenged and will be battle-tested by the time the championship part of our season comes up in April and May.”
Notre Dame has three starters among its five returning veterans this season, led by all-Atlantic Coast Conference senior Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas/Ursuline Academy), junior Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) and sophomore Kari Bellville (Granger, Ind./Penn). Campbell enters her final college season with a 74.67 career stroke average, the second-best mark in program history, while Ferreira isn’t far behind with a 75.39 career stroke average, fifth in the school’s record book.
The Fighting Irish also welcome a freshman trio that features three of the nation’s top 50 players in the Class of 2015, according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin and American Junior Golf Association (AJGA)/Polo rankings – No. 12/12 Maddie Rose Hamilton (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy), No. 30/33 Isabella DiLisio (Hatfield, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) and No. 35/45 Emma Albrecht (Ormond Beach, Fla./Father Lopez).
Here’s a quick thumbnail look at each tournament on this year’s Notre Dame women’s golf schedule:
Sept. 12-13 – Mary Fossum Invitational (East Lansing, Michigan)
The Fighting Irish are the defending tournament champions, earning their second Fossum Invitational title in five years with a four-stroke win over host Michigan State at the Forest Akers West Golf Course.
Sept. 19-21 ââ’¬” Schooner Fall Classic (Norman, Oklahoma)
Notre Dame shot 846 (+6), the lowest 54-hole gross total in school history, en route to an eighth-place finish at Oklahoma’s annual tournament, which is played at the Belmar Golf Club.
Oct. 5-6 ââ’¬” Chip-N-Club Invitational (Lincoln, Nebraska)
This is the first of two new stops on the Fighting Irish schedule this season, as Notre Dame makes not only its first appearance at Nebraska’s tournament, but also plays in the Cornhusker State for the first time in program history.
Oct. 19-20 ââ’¬” Cardinal Cup (Louisville, Ky.)
The Fighting Irish will be playing in fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville’s event for the second time and first since 2007, when Notre Dame earned a three-shot win over their league sisters (both schools were competing in the BIG EAST Conference at the time), with honorable mention All-American So-Hyun Park (’11) collecting medalist honors.
Oct. 23-25 ââ’¬” Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Notre Dame aims to build on its best-ever showing at the fall finale after tying for third last year with a sharp 871 (+7) and defeating eight Golfstat Top 25 teams and tying a ninth in a tournament widely regarded as one of the strongest on the college golf circuit.
Feb. 21-22 ââ’¬” Westbrook Spring Invitational (Peoria, Arizona)
The Fighting Irish open their spring schedule the same place they did last year, when Notre Dame tied for third at Wisconsin’s annual tournament after carding 868 (+4), the fourth-lowest gross score in school history (and third-lowest mark with relation to par).
March 11-13 ââ’¬” Clover Cup (Mesa, Arizona)
Notre Dame’s fifth annual spring tournament once again takes place during the University’s spring break period and offers the Fighting Irish and other participating teams the chance to engage in numerous service activities in the Mesa community, along with competing in a challenging tournament (Notre Dame has placed second the past two years).
March 20-22 ââ’¬” LSU Tiger Classic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
The Fighting Irish wrap up their spring break trip down on the bayou, aiming to improve on last year’s eighth-place finish, Notre Dame’s best showing in five appearances at LSU’s annual event.
April 1-3 ââ’¬” Bryan National Collegiate (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Notre Dame plays in the second of two events hosted by ACC schools, as Wake Forest welcomes much of the conference membership to the Bryan Park Golf Course on the northeast side of Greensboro for a tune-up two weeks prior to the ACC Championship played across town. The Fighting Irish tied for seventh in last year’s visit to the Bryan National Collegiate after battling back from a tough opening-round 309 by playing the closing 36 holes in 24-over par, the second-best mark in the 18-team field during the final two rounds.
April 15-17 ââ’¬” ACC Championship (Greensboro, North Carolina)
The Fighting Irish make their third appearance in the conference tournament, having placed fifth and sixth on their first two trips to the Sedgefield Country Club. Notre Dame’s 876 (+12) score last season trimmed 29 strokes off the previous year’s ACC tournament total, with its opening-round 287 the third-lowest 18-hole team score posted by the Fighting Irish in conference tournament play.
May 5-7 ââ’¬” NCAA Regionals (selected sites)
Notre Dame has qualified for NCAA regional play the past eight seasons and 10 times in school history, most recently finishing eighth at the 2014 NCAA South Bend Regional after posting the program’s best-ever score at an NCAA regional (894, +30) on Notre Dame’s own Warren Golf Course. The top six teams at the four regional sites (Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Bryan, Texas; Shoal Creek, Alabama; and Stanford, California) and the top three individuals not on an advancing team will move on to the NCAA Championships.
May 20-25 ââ’¬” NCAA Championships (Eugene, Oregon)
The Fighting Irish are seeking to reach the NCAA Championships for the second time and first since 2011. This will be the fourth time the NCAA finals have been played in Oregon, and the second time they will be contested at the Eugene Country Club (also 1994).
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s golf program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s golf Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @NDwomensGolf) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
– Chris Masters, Athletic Communications Associate Director