Ashley Armstrong has taken her game to another level this spring, and it's elevating her team to new heights, too, as the No. 23 Irish head to Dallas for the DAC/SMU Invitational this weekend.
Armstrong has won two tournaments in a row and set a new personal best score of one-under-par at the Insperity Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate Tournament from March 15-17. After winning the Briar's Creek Invitational last week, the sophomore was named the Women's National Golfer of the Week by Golfweek magazine. In her two wins, Armstrong has defeated eight top-50 opponents and climbed to No. 76 nationally.
"Ashley's been doing everything well lately," Irish coach Susan Holt said. "She's in a good place where everything is coming together. She's been driving well and putting well."
The Irish as a team have been on a roll lately as well. After finishing third and beating then-No. 22 Texas at the Insperity Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate, the Irish claimed their first team victory since 2011 at the Briar's Creek Invitational on March 26. This weekend, the squad will try to keep the momentum up and upset No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 22 Oklahoma State, both of whom have beaten the Irish in tournaments this year.
"Based on the rankings, we should get third," Holt said. "But the girls really want to beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and ... our confidence is high and our practice round today was very good."
However, Holt said she wants her team to remain focused on playing within themselves and not get too caught up in trying to beat other squads.
"The team that plays the course best is the team that wins," Holt said. "We need to focus on our game and take care of ourselves."
Holt said while the course was wet and soft, conditions look to be ideal over the weekend, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s, and only moderate wind. In addition, freshman Talia Campbell, a Dallas native, has played this course before, giving the Irish a little extra knowledge.
Overall, Holt said the team is excited to end the regular season strong and enter the postseason on a high note.
"Things are going well right now," Holt said. "We'll see what the weekend brings."
The Irish compete throughout this weekend at the DAC/SMU invitational in Dallas before beginning postseason play at the Big East conference championship April 21.
Contact Greg Hadley at ghadley@nd.edu
