Notre Dame ended day one of the Edwin Watts Palmetto Intercollegiate Tournament in ninth place after 34 holes Monday at the College of Charleston in Kiawah Island, S.C.
The Irish shot a 20-over-par 308 in round one to finish in a tie for 11th, and are 13-over par so far with only a few holes left in the second round.
"We're doing OK. We didn't finish well in the morning," Irish coach Susan Holt said. "Of the four scores that counted in the first round, we played the last two holes 7-over-par."
Senior Noriko Nakazaki led the Irish in round one with a 1-over par 73 and is 2-over with two holes to play in round two. She is currently in sixth place overall with a total score of 3-over-par.
"It was all right out there today," Nakazaki said. "It wasn't that exciting, but I did have four birdies."
Freshman Annie Brophy is currently tied for 40th overall. After struggling in the first round with a 10-over 82 - the highest score of the five Notre Dame participants - Brophy is one-under through 15 holes in her second round.
Sophomore Lisa Maunu is third on the Irish, with an 11-over-par through 34 holes, good enough for a tie for 52nd overall. Junior Jane Lee matched Maunu's first round total with a six-over 78 and is seven-over in her second round with three holes to play, putting her in 66th overall. Freshman Kristin Wetzel rounds out the scoring with a 14-over-par performance through 32 holes.
"Our ball striking was good, but the short game failed us. We didn't convert some easy up and downs," Holt said. "The last ten days we've been fortunate enough to have the indoor facilities on campus to practice in. We didn't take advantage of our practice in there."
She emphasized the need to relax on the golf course - especially during the last several holes - in a team meeting last night.
"Sometimes the harder you try, the worse it gets. Don't make it harder than it needs to be out there," she said. "They need to have faith in their abilities."
Nakazaki, the program's all-time stroke average leader, echoed the need to finish the rounds strong.
"It's different for everyone out there," she said. "One person might be putting too much pressure on herself, and another might lose focus out there.
"But if I knew the answer to finishing well, I'd be playing a lot better."
