Aug. 17, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A trio of Notre Dame golfers — senior Eric Deutsch (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS), junior Cole Isban (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian HS) and sophomore Eddie Peckels (Pinehurst, N.C./Pope John Paul II (Fla.) HS) — are preparing to start play Monday at the 105th U. S. Amateur Championship on the famous Merion Golf Club (par 70/6,846 yards) in Ardmore, Pa. The three Irish qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur highlight a stellar summer season for Notre Dame, which had one golfer (Isban) advance to the round of 16 at the Western Amateur Championship and another (Peckels) reach the semifinals at the North & South Amateur Championship.
Competitors at this year’s U.S. Amateur will take part in 36 holes of stroke play on Monday and Tuesday, playing one round each at the Merion Golf Club and the adjacent Philadelphia Country Club (par 70/6,967 yards). After stroke play, the field will be reduced to the top 64 golfers for match play, with any ties played off immediately. Peckels will be the first Notre Dame golfer to tee off Monday, starting at 9:27 a.m. EDT from the 10th tee at Merion. Isban will follow at 1:14 p.m. EDT from Merion’s first tee, while Deutsch will begin on the 10th hole at the Philadelphia Country Club, also at 1:14 p.m. EDT.
“I’m thrilled for Eric, Cole and Eddie,” second-year Irish head coach Jim Kubinski said. “Qualifying for the United States Amateur is an extremely significant and meaningful accomplishment. I feel the U.S. Amateur is the Olympics of amateur golf, and while you’re not necessarily representing your country, you are competing against the very best amateur players from all over the world. It’s exciting for the players and for our program. We’re very proud of our guys and the strides Notre Dame golf is making.”
Isban, a 2005 PING All-Midwest Region and two-time all-BIG EAST Conference selection, will be playing in the U.S. Amateur for the second consecutive year after finishing second at his sectional qualifier with a four-under par 140 back on July 25 in Wheaton, Ill. Last year, Isban wound up two strokes shy of advancing to match play at the U.S. Amateur, tying for 99th place at 12-over par 152 (77-75). In addition to his round-of-16 performance at last month’s Western Amateur, Isban advanced to the second round of match play at the North & South Amateur earlier this month in Pinehurst, N.C. Isban posted a team-low 74.17 stroke average for the Irish in 2004-05, marking the sixth-best single-season figure in school history (fourth-lowest since 1990).
“I’m obviously excited about the chance to compete in the U.S. Amateur for the second year in a row,” Isban said. “The tournament is not only the largest field of players in the country, but the strongest as well, and therefore provides a great stage for all to compete on. My performance last year left me disappointed and craving another chance, so as I approach the event this year, I’m truly motivated and excited to see how deep in the tournament I can go. My goal is not only to play well and make match play, but also win as many matches as possible.
“This year is truly a step in the right direction for our program as we have three of us competing this time around,” Isban added. “I feel like this will be another great week of competition that will truly put our team off on the right foot early in our fall season.”
Deutsch punched his ticket for the 2005 U.S. Amateur with a second-place finish in his sectional qualifier on July 26 in Byron, Minn., carding a five-over par 149. Like Isban, Deutsch is a two-time all-BIG EAST honoree and he is coming off a second consecutive top-five finish at the Minnesota State Amateur Championship back in June. Deutsch also has been a key contributor to Notre Dame’s back-to-back BIG EAST titles in 2004 and 2005, not to mention posting team-best finishes at the NCAA Central Regional both years (the Irish have been within four strokes of advancement to the NCAA Championship in ’04 and ’05). He ended up with a 76.20 stroke average in 2004-05.
Peckels was the first of the three Notre Dame golfers to punch his ticket for the U.S. Amateur, finishing fifth with a four-under par 140 in sectional qualifying on July 20-21 in Durham, N.C. Peckels may be the hottest of the Irish trio headed to the U.S. Amateur, having already battled his way to the semifinals of the North & South Amateur and picking off three top-11 seeds in the process. He saw action in five tournaments for Notre Dame last season, registering a 75.36 stroke average during his rookie campaign.
Notre Dame has nine monogram winners returning for the 2005-06 season, including all five golfers who competed at the 2005 NCAA Central Regional and helped post the fifth-lowest single-season stroke average in the program’s history (299.89). The Irish will open their season September 17-18 at the Gopher Invitational in Wayzata, Minn.
— ND —