July 26, 2018
2018-19 Schedule
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame women’s golf team has released its 2018-19 schedule, which begins Sept. 10 with the first round of the Minnesota Invitational in Woodbury, Minnesota.
The schedule will include eight regular season tournaments, with the ACC Championship and NCAA Championship taking place at the end of the spring season.
The Irish add two new tournaments to their schedule this year, as well as returning to six familiar events.
In the spring, the team once again will host the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona, which not only offers challenging competition but also affords the Irish a chance to engage in various community activities over the course of the event.
Notre Dame returns all five players from last season’s NCAA Regional starting lineup, including a trio of seniors: Emma Albrecht, Isabella DiLisio and Maddie Rose Hamilton.
Albrecht finished first on the team in 2017-18 with a 72.31 stroke average, the lowest single-season mark in program history. She also had 16 rounds at par or better, 12 of those being under par (seven in the 60’s) and four being at even par. She finished tied for 11th at the 2018 NCAA Regional in Madison, Wisconsin, after shooting a 215 (73-75-67). Her one-under par final score accounts for Notre Dame’s lowest 54 hole total in NCAA play.
Fellow senior DiLisio ended her junior campaign with a 75.82 stroke average after carding nine rounds at par or better. She shot a final round of 72 at the 2018 ACC Championships, helping Notre Dame to record the program’s best single-round score at the tournament.
The second-lowest stroke average of the season (73.86) belonged to Hamilton, who had three top-ten event finishes in 2017-18. She tied for ninth place at both the Schooner Fall Classic, where she shot rounds of 76-65-69-210 to finish three-under par, and the Clover Cup where she finished with a score of 219 (70-74-75). Hamilton also took fourth place at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, tying her best-ever finish at an event shooting 216 (70-73-73).
The Irish also return NCAA starters Abby Heck and Mia Ayer. Heck finished her freshman season with a 74.75 stroke average and contributed to Notre Dame’s final round score of 290 at the NCAA Regional to push the team two spots up the leaderboard to attain a 12th place finish. Individually she finished tied for twenty-third shooting a 217 (75-73-69) and recorded Notre Dame’s second-lowest 54 hole total in NCAA play. Ayer Finished the 2017-18 season with a 75.96 stroke average, carded one under par round and competed in nine tournaments for the Irish as a sophomore. All three of her NCAA rounds counted towards the team’s score.
A look at the 2018-19 schedule:
Sept. 10-11 — 2018 Minnesota Invitational (Woodbury, Minnesota)
The Fighting Irish return to the Minnesota Invitational for the second year in a row. Last season at the Prestwick Golf Club, Notre Dame finished tied for third with a team score of ten-under par (284-289-281-854).
Sept. 28-30 — 2018 Schooner Fall Classic (Norman, Oklahoma)
For the fifth consecutive year, Notre Dame heads back to Norman for the Schooner Fall Classic. In 2017, the Irish tied for sixth, shooting an 854 (294-282-278) at the par 71 course.
Oct. 5-7 — 2018 Bettie Lou Evans Invitational (Lexington, Kentucky)
Notre Dame travels back to the Lexington for the second year in a row to participate in the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, which will be held at the Big Blue Golf Club. In 2017, the team took first place with a three round score of 872 (284-296-292), while Emma Albrecht earned co-medalist honors for her first career win.
Oct. 26-28 — 2018 Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, North Carolina)
For the eighth consecutive year, the Irish return to Wilmington to compete in the Landfall Tradition.
Feb. 18-19 — 2019 Moon Golf Invitational (Melbourne, Florida)
The Irish will make their inaugural appearance at the Duran Golf Club for Louisville’s Moon Golf Invitational. The tournament uses a 54-hole format in which participants play 36 holes on day one and 18 holes on day two.
Feb. 24-25 — 2019 Westbrook Invitational (Peoria, Arizona)
For the fifth year in a row, the Irish travel to Peoria, Arizona, to compete at the Westbrook Village Golf Club. Last season, Notre Dame finished sixth after a three-round total of 852 (288-280-284).
March 15-17 — 2019 Clover Cup (Mesa, Arizona)
Notre Dame will play host to the eighth annual Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club’s par 72 course. The annual spring tournament will once again take place during the University’s spring break period. The tournament offers participating teams the opportunity to engage in numerous service activities in the Mesa community while also competing in a challenging tournament. Notre Dame took fifth last season after finishing with a total of 888 (296-290-302).
April 8-9 — 2019 Brickyard Collegiate (Macon, Georgia)
The Fighting Irish will head to the Brickyard Golf Club at Riverside for the third-annual Brickyard Collegiate hosted by Mercer University. The event will conclude Notre Dame’s 2018-19 regular season schedule.
April 18-20 — 2019 ACC Championship (Greensboro, North Carolina)
The Fighting Irish take their sixth trip to the ACC Championship in 2019. With the tournament returning to the Sedgefield Country Club, the Irish head back to a familiar course after competing there when Notre Dame first joined the ACC.
May 6-8 — 2019 NCAA Regional (TBD)
Notre Dame has qualified for NCAA regional play 12 times in school history, most recently finishing 12th at the 2018 NCAA Madison Regional. In Madison, Albrecht and Heck posted strong individual contributions with Albrecht finishing tied for eleventh at one-below par (73-75-67) and Heck finishing tied for twenty-third at one-over par (75-73-69). The top six teams at the four regional sites and the top three individuals not on an advancing team will move on the the 2019 NCAA Championship.
May 17-22 — 2019 NCAA Championship (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
The Fighting Irish will look to reach the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2011 and the second time in program history.
–ND–