Feb. 9, 2018
By Dan Colleran
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Notre Dame women’s golf team jumped right into the spring portion of their schedule on Friday at the Florida State Match-Up as day one of the event was changed from a one round day to two due to impending weather.
The change did not deter the Irish, who stand in sixth place after two rounds of play in the 12-team tournament, shooting a first day 580 (290-290).
Playing at the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course (Par 72/6,212 yards), junior Emma Albrecht shot rounds of 72 and 70 to finish the day in a tie for ninth. Freshman Abby Heck was just one stroke behind Albrecht with rounds of 73 and 70, good for a tie for 15th.
In addition to the traditional medalist and team champion honors, the tournament also includes a second combined team (or “Match-Up”) title. The Irish have been paired with Kentucky and stand in fifth. The Match-Up title is determined by taking the best four scores from the partners (which is a total of ten players) and the worst score to make the Match-Up team total.
Saturday’s final round will feature a shotgun start at 10 a.m. ET and live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
NOTRE DAME LEADERS
Notre Dame’s best two rounds of the day both came on the second 18, as Albrecht and Heck each carded a two-under 70. Albrecht started on the seventh hole and after three pars to open her round, she birdied four of six holes to get to four-under. She rebounded from a bogey and double-bogey with a fifth birdie on the round to get back to two-under. Heck teed-off on nine and birdied her second hole before a string of eight-straight pars. A pair of bogeys were followed by four straight birdies and another bogey before a final par to finish at two-under.
Maddie Rose Hamilton had the low score for the Irish in the first round. The junior was consistent over her 18 to card a 71, recording two birdies and one bogey.
NOTRE DAME SCORE CARDS
T9 — Emma Albrecht: 72, 70 (142, -2)
T15 — Abby Heck: 73, 70 (143, -1)
T21 — Maddie Rose Hamilton: 71, 74 (145, +1)
T43 — Mia Ayer: 74, 77 (151, +7)
66 — Isabella DiLisio: 83, 76 (159, +15)
TEAM STANDINGS
The Irish stand in sixth in the traditional team standings with a team score of 580/+4. South Carolina leads the event with a 15-under 561. The Gamecocks are followed by Coastal Carolina and Michigan State, who are both eight-under (568). Virginia is in fourth at a three-under 573 and the host Seminoles are one stroke ahead of the Irish.
In the Match-Up standings, Notre Dame and Kentucky have a combined score of 729 which is good for fifth. South Carolina and Virginia lead the way at 703, followed by Missouri and Coastal Carolina in second at 713. Michigan State and Minnesota are in third at 721, with Florida State and Texas A&M just ahead of the Irish and Wildcats at 725. Princeton and Columbia round out the field with a score of 755.
NOTRE DAME’S FLORIDA STATE MATCH-UP HISTORY
Notre Dame previously took part in the event in 2013, as well as last season. In 2013, The Irish placed seventh overall and, paired with Michigan, placed fifth in the Match-Up standings. Last season Notre Dame was paired with Oklahoma and Emma Albrecht led the Notre Dame lineup by tying for 22nd (74-72-73-219) in the 66-player field.
UP NEXT
The Irish will have next weekend off and then continue the season on Feb. 25-26 at the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Arizona.
— ND —
Dan Colleran, Director of Athletics Communications at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).