Notre Dame is trying to keep its early season momentum going at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Cup in Simpsonville, Ky., and those efforts are paying off as the team sits in first place after two rounds on the first day.
The Irish played the first 36 holes Monday and ended with a comfortable eight-stroke lead.
Their six-over par 582 (292-290) performance topped host Louisville, which is in second place with a 590 (295-295) mark on the day.
Augusta State is currently in third place after carding a total score of 592 (289-303), two strokes better than Georgia State. Middle Tennessee State rounded out the top five with a 602 (302-300).
Notre Dame's entire lineup played consistently Monday, with freshman So-Hyun Park leading the charge.
After placing second at the Cougar Classic, Park shot a three-under par 141 at the Cardinal Club to take the lead into Tuesday's final round.
Middle Tennessee State senior Taryn Durham trails Park by just one stroke.
A week after junior co-captain Lisa Maunu set a team record at the Cougar Classic, she fired rounds of 70 and 76, putting her in a four-way tie for fifth place. Maunu's score was identical to that of sophomore teammate Kristin Wetzel.
Wetzel shot the top round of her collegiate career in the final 18 holes of the day on the way to her two-over par 146 (75-71) performance.
Fellow sophomore Annie Brophy ended the day as the third Irish golfer in the top 20, finishing in a tie for 17th with her six-over par 150 (77-73) play.
Rounding out the Notre Dame lineup was freshman Katie Conway, who sits in a 32nd-place tie thanks to a nine-over 153 (78-75).
The third and final round of the Cardinal Cup will be played today at 8:30 a.m. Live hole-by-hole scoring of the tournament is available at www.golfstatresults.com.
