March 15, 2018
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team will continue its spring season this weekend at the 2018 Clover Cup. The three-round tournament will be played at the Longbow Golf Club (par 72, 6,184 yards) in Mesa, Arizona.
While the tournament does not start until March 16, the team will arrive early to get in some important practice rounds and participate in local community service event.
Notre Dame will be the third highest-ranked team in this weekend’s 16-team field, currently sitting at No. 45 in the latest Golfstat rankings. Arizona State and Oklahoma – No. 8 and No. 15 respectively – likely will challenge the Irish for top honors this weekend. Oklahoma topped Notre Dame by 13 shots last month en route to the 2018 Westbrook Invitational championship at the Vistas Course at the Westbrook Village Golf Club. The Irish and Sooners each tied for sixth at the 2017 Schooner Fall Classic (Sept. 23-25).
Last season, Notre Dame finished the Clover Cup in seventh place (887, +23). Emma Albrecht and Isabella DiLisio led the Irish on the scorecards, completing the event with three-day totals of 219 (T16) and 220 (T21), respectively. No school had more eagles on the weekend than DiLisio as she rolled in two eagles throughout the course of the tournament, both coming from her flat stick during her scorching opening round 67.
THE DETAILS
Date: Friday-Sunday, March 16-18, 2018
Format: 54 holes (18 holes Friday-Sunday)
Tee Times: 10:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. MT Friday-Sunday (split-tee starts on Friday-Saturday; shotgun start Sunday)
Location: Mesa, Arizona
The Course: Longbow Golf Club (par 72/6,184 yards)
Tournament Field (latest Golfstat ranking): Notre Dame (45), Arizona State (8), Charlotte (96), Cincinnati (159), Delaware (101), FIU (138), IUPUI (202), Kentucky (63), Minnesota (106), Nebraska (97), Ohio State (49), Oklahoma (15), TCU (73), Texas State (103), Toledo (81), UNC Greensboro (107)
Live Stats: Birdiefire
NOTRE DAME LINEUP
- Notre Dame’s lineup will consist of junior Emma Albrecht (1), sophomore Mia Ayer (2), freshman Abby Heck (3), junior Isabella DiLisio (4) and junior Maddie Rose Hamilton (5). Additionally, senior captain Alison Snakard will compete as an individual.
COACH HOLT QUOTES
Anything in particular, outside of playing well, that the team might focus on this weekend…
“We’ve really emphasized each player getting a solid game-plan for attacking each hole and being committed to their plan and executing it.”
Expectations for the group…
“We’ve had three rounds on the course to prepare and should be ready to contend for a team title come the final round on Sunday. It will require a team effort to pull it off but I believe we’ve got the talent to get it done.”
NOTING THE 2017-18 SEASON
- Notre Dame shot a final round, four-under par 284 to finish sixth at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Vistas Course at the Westbrook Village Golf Club (Feb. 25-26). With the sixth place showing, the Irish (288-280-284=852) posted the second-lowest team score for a 54-hole tournament in program history.
- Junior Emma Albrecht fired a final round, two-under par 70 to finish the tournament at nine-under par and place fourth (70-67-70=207). Albrecht’s 207 ties for the lowest 54-hole score in program history, matching Nicole Zhang’s 207 (-9) at the 2010-11 Mary Fossum Invitational.
- The Irish had a strong fall season, tying for third at the Minnesota Invitational (Sept. 11-12), tying for sixth at the Schooner Fall Classic (Sept. 23-25) and winning the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational (Oct. 6-8).
- Albrecht led the Irish with a seventh-place showing at the Minnesota Invitational (68-72-70=210). She then carded a career-low 67 in the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic and posted her first career win at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational when she claimed co-medalist honors (70-69-73=211). Notre Dame’s last tournament win came when it finished first at the Chip-N Club Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska (Oct. 6, 2015). The last Notre Dame player to take medalist honors was Kristina Nhim, who won the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona on March 16, 2014.
- Maddie Rose Hamilton also tied for fourth at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational with an even-par 216 marking the first time Notre Dame had two individuals finish in the top five of an event since Oct. 5-6, 2015.
- Hamilton set the program record by shooting a second round 65 (-6) at the Schooner Fall Classic. The -6 also tied for the lowest round in program history in relation to par. Previously, So-Hyun Park (2008-09) and Lisa Maunu (2007-08) also carded six-under par scores, both of which were 66’s on par 72 courses.
- Also at the at the Schooner Fall Classic, Notre Dame carded a final round 278 (-6) marked the second lowest score in program history, just one stroke off the record of 277 carded in the second round of the 2014 Schooner Classic. The -6 also tied for the their best round in program history in relation to par.
- Notre Dame’s three-round total of 854 (+2) at the Schooner Fall Classic also marked the second-lowest three round score in program history and the fourth-best three round score in relation to par.
NOTRE DAME UNDER COACH HOLT
- Head Coach Susan Holt is in her 12th season leading the Irish. Over the previous 11 seasons, Holt has led Notre Dame to nine NCAA regional appearances and helped Notre Dame earn its first NCAA Championship berth in program history (2011). In addition, the Irish have captured four conference titles, won 17 tournament championships (team), had 15 individual medalist winners. Her players have also earned 27 all-conference accolades as well as the first two All-America selections in Notre Dame women’s golf history.
UP NEXT
- After host to the 2018 Clover Cup on March 16-18 at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, Notre Dame will play in the Bryan National Collegiate on April 6-8 at the Bryan Park Champions Course in Greensboro, North Carolina.
— ND —