The No. 7 Irish came out on top again this weekend as they won the William K. Warren Irish Invitational at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course for their second straight tournament victory.
Notre Dame shot a 905 (+41) three-round total to defeat Kent State by five strokes and grab its second win over Kent in as many weeks.
"This was a great win for the team," Irish coach Susan Holt said. "There is definitely added pressure to win when you host an event on your home golf course."
The win wasn't an easy one for the team, as the team had to deal with the pressure of being the host. Nevertheless, Holt said she felt her team handled the challenges presented as best they could.
"The weather Saturday made it a very challenging day for good golf," she said. "It was windy and cold, and I thought we did a great job of being patient. It is tough to play in those conditions, especially 36 holes."
The Irish shot a final round of 302 (+2), led by freshman Nicole Zhang's weekend-low score of 70. Zhang tied for second place among all golfers with an overall finish of 218, shooting a 73 and 75 in the first two rounds, respectively.
Kent State came in a close second with a score of 910, and Ohio State in third with a score of 921.
Notre Dame saw consistently strong play from all of its players, each of whom ranked among the top-35 finishers.
"This was a team effort all the way," Holt said. "We got key rounds from all five players. It is great to know that we have depth in our lineup and do not rely on any one person to have to carry the load."
Senior So-Hyun Park finished in second for the Irish with a 229, shooting two consistent rounds of 76 on day one and carding a 77 on day two to take 12th. Junior Becca Huffer was not far behind Park, tying for 17th with a finish of 231 with her three rounds of 77, 75 and 79.
Freshman Kristina Nhim had another successful weekend to kick off her rookie season after a tough first round. Nhim shot an 83 to commence the tournament, but came back with a 72 in round two and a 79 in round three to finish at 234 for 28th place. Junior Katie Allare rounded out the Irish scoring by carding a 236 with rounds of 79, 81 and 76 to tie for 35th.
Senior Katie Conway competed as an individual in the invite and had the best finish of all the unattached competitors with a 233. Conway shot rounds of 79, 75 and 79 to end up in 21st overall.
Notre Dame will next travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to compete in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship at the Fox Den Country Club from Oct. 8-9, where it looks to continue its early success.
"Confidence and good golf go hand in hand," Holt said. "With back to back wins we have a high level of confidence heading into the University of Tennessee event next weekend. I think we will continue our solid play."
