Sept. 10, 2000
VERONA, Wis. – Notre Dame junior Steve Ratay (Arlington Hts, Ill.) had a stellar 1999 fall season and opened the 2000 campaign in similar fashion over the weekend by sharing medalist honors at the 2000 Badger Invitational, held at the par-72, 6,888-yard University Ridge Golf Course.
Ratay’s four-under 212-backed by matching 225s from senior Alex Kent (Asuncion, Paraguay) and sophomore Brandon Lunke (San Antonio, Texas)-landed Notre Dame in a fourth-place finish at the 15-team event, six strokes behind Toledo. Host Wisconsin finished first at 860, six shots ahead of Penn State.
Ratay-whose 1999 fall season in four events with the Irish included a medalist finish, a runner-up showing and a fifth-place finish- opened play on Saturday with rounds of 71-70 for a one-stroke cushion on Penn State’s Matt Abbott while the Irish used steady rounds of 296-293 to stand in fourth place heading into Sunday’s final round. Ratay then finished with a 71 but Wisconsin’s Jim Lemon used a closing 67 to catch him for a tie atop the leaderboard.
Ratay’s 212 total ties for the second-best 54-hole score in Notre Dame history, trailing only the four-under 209 posted by Jeff Connell at the 1997-98 Marshall Invitational. Ratay’s four-under showing ties the Irish 54-hole record for best score in relation to par, equaling the mark set by three others.
Notre Dame’s final-round 292 yielded an 881 total (+17), the ninth-best 54-hole score in team history and the fifth-best in relation to par. Among the more noteworthy teams defeated by the Irish was perennial national power Arizona State (885).
Kent used three rounds of 74 while Lunke shot 76-74-72 to each finish tied for 23rd, at 222. Freshman Peter Rivas (New Orleans, La.) had a solid debut to his Irish career, carding three 75s to finish tied for 29th at 225. Senior Adam Anderson (83-81-76/240) rounded out the Notre Dame contingent.
FINAL 54-HOLE TEAM STANDINGS: 1. Wisconsin 287-291-282/860, 2. Penn State 292-288-284/864, 3. Toledo 299-286-290/875, 4. Notre Dame 296-293-292/881, Iowa 296-299-286/881, 6. Arizona State 297-294-294/885, 7. Indiana 297-293-298/888, 8. Air Force 291-304-295/890, 9. Illinois 294-301-298-893, 10. Marshall 301-298-299/898, 11. Ball State 294-306-299/899, 12. Xavier 304-289-308/901, 13. Marquette 306-302-300/908, 14. Akron 298-310-312/920, 15. Northern Illinois 312-319-304/935.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 78): 1. Jim Lemon (WIS) 76-69-67/212, Steve Ratay (ND) 71-70-71/212, 3. Jon Turcott (WIS) 72-71-70/213, 4. Matt Abbott (PSU) 69-73-72/214, 5. Andy Latowski (PSU) 75-71-69/215, Kevin Kornowa (TOL) 73-71-71/215, Matt Stutzman (IOWA) 73-71-71/215, Jim Fuller (PSU) 75-70-70/215, 9. Brady Stockton (ASU) 75-72-70/217, David Jones (TOL 72-72-73/217, Eric Reno (WIS, indiv.) 72-72-73/217.
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES: 23. Alex Kent 74-74-74/222, Brandon Lunke 76-74-72/222, 39. Peter Rivas 75-75-75/225, 73. Adam Anderson 83-81-76/240.