Feb. 8, 2017
By Dan Colleran
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame women’s golf team will open the second half of the 2016-17 season at the 2017 Florida State Match-Up in Tallahassee, Florida, on Feb. 10-12.
In addition the the traditional medalist and team champion honors, the tournament also includes a second combined team (or “Match-Up”) title. The Irish will be paired with Oklahoma in the chase for the 2017 Match-Up championship. Last season, Florida State and Texas A&M took the combined team title (1,101).
Notre Dame previously took part in the 2013 Florida State’s Match-Up, which was played at the Southwood Golf Course in Tallahassee, Florida (Feb. 15-17). The Irish placed seventh overall and, paired with Michigan, placed fifth in the Match-Up standings. Lindsey Weaver tied for eighth to lead the Irish lineup (218/+2).
The Details
Date: Feb. 10-12, 2017
Format: 18 holes of play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (grouped in twosomes)
Tee Times: TBA (split tees)
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
The Course: The Don Veller Seminole Golf Course (Par 72/6,260 yards)
Tournament Field (by pairings): Florida State and Texas A&M, South Carolina and Virginia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, Minnesota and Michigan State, Middle Tennessee and USF, Missouri and Coastal Carolina.
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Projected Notre Dame Lineup
Senior Jordan Ferreira will lead the Notre Dame lineup from the No. 1 position, followed by sophomores Emma Albrecht and Isabella DiLisio, as well as freshman Mia Ayer and junior Alison Snakard.
Coach Holt Quotes
On returning to competition …
“I think going to West Palm Beach in Florida this past weekend and getting two days of quality play and practice outside was a definite morale boost. It takes a toll being inside everyday during these past few weeks so I know we are excited to get back into tournament mode.”
On the format …
“The FSU event is a one-of-a-kind format in women’s college golf with us pairing with Oklahoma to compete for the Match-Up championship. It will be fun to play with them the first two days. They are ranked in the top-20 after the fall so it will be good for us to play with them and try to be competitive. Our players know each other pretty well as we get paired together quite a bit. Our coaching staffs are good friends so we always pair ourselves together when we host events. Twosomes will be nice for pace of play, especially since our players like to play at a good pace. It should be a fun format and a great way to get back into competition this spring.”
2016 Fall Season Recap
Led by a top-10 finish from Albrecht, the Irish opened the 2016-17 season by tying for sixth at the University of Oklahoma’s Schooner Fall Classic (Sept. 24-25), which was played at the Belmar Golf Club (par 71/5,939 yards). Albrecht finished tied for tenth (69-73-69-211) to lead the Notre Dame lineup, marking her third career top-10 finish.
In another fall season highlight, Notre Dame shot a 280 (-8) in the third round of the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational on Oct. 16, which marked the third-lowest team round in program history. In addition to the third round of the Betsy Rawls, the Irish also shot under par rounds during first round of the Jim West Challenge (-6) and in the first round of the Schooner Fall Classic (-1) during the first semester.
Ferreira led the Irish with a 73.58 stroke average in the fall, followed by Albrecht (74.25). Ferreira shot a team-low 68 in the third round of the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational for the lowest round of the semester, followed by Albrecht’s three-under par 69 in the first round of the Jim West Challenge.
NCAA Note
This season, the Irish will be looking to extend their streak of nine consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (2008-16). The program has made 11 all-time appearances in the NCAA Regionals and also advanced to the NCAA Championship in 2011.
Up Next
After the Florida State Match-Up, Notre Dame will play in the University of Wisconsin’s Westbrook Spring Invitational. The two-day event will be played on Feb. 26-27 at the Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Arizona.
— ND —
Dan Colleran, associate athletics communications director 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).