After carding a tournament-best final round at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic on Tuesday, the Irish look to continue their strong play next week at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational in Muncie, Ind.
Notre Dame turned in a team score of 6-over-par 290 at the Warren Golf Course on the third and final day of tournament play Tuesday to finish in eighth place overall in the home event. The Irish head to Muncie on Monday to compete only as individuals. Although Notre Dame will not have the opportunity to win the two-day tournament as a team, Irish coach Jim Kubinski said his team will still take the competition seriously and use it as an opportunity to improve.
"We will prepare, we will try to learn the golf course as best we can for next week," Kubinski said. "Quite honestly I think the guys are getting more and more comfortable, we are seeing flashes of good play. We just need to take it out over 18 holes and when we do that we will be a good team."
Kubinski said his team drove the ball well during the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic. However, he said some of his more inexperienced golfers need to get more practice with other areas of their game.
"A lot of things that we do, whether it is a couple of putts here or there, or just that tee shot at the wrong time. If you hit a ball off line on a lot of holes you are fine but it is just the wrong hole to do that. A lot of those things are just about getting comfortable competing at this level."
Junior Andrew Carreon played well at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic as an individual. Although he has not competed in many tournaments for Notre Dame, Carreon is a co-captain along with senior Paul McNamara III. Kubinski praised the junior's efforts at the Warren this week.
"(Carreon) was not in the lineup but he was the low individual player for our team," Kubinski said. "I think he tied Paul overall. He shot 73 all three days on a tough golf course, so I was very proud of Andrew Carreon."
Irish sophomore Peyton Vitter also played well in Notre Dame's most recent outing, Kubinski said. The coach said the Irish will be counting on Carreon and Vitter this weekend and beyond.
"Honestly I thought Peyton Vitter, he had a triple bogey today and still posted a 73, which [taking into account] the conditions and the triple-bogey, 73 was a really good score."
The Irish begin action at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational on Monday morning and conclude Tuesday.
Contact Cory Bernard at
cbernard@nd.edu
