After finishingthird in the Big East Championship last season, the Irish look forward to building on their success.
This season will be a little different for Notre Dame, however, as the Irish will no longer compete in the Big East but in the ACC, where they will face off against powerhouses such as Duke and North Carolina.
Despite the loss of one of Notre Dame's top individual finishers, Paul McNamara, the Irish will return sophomore Cory Sciupider, who finished third in the Big East Championship, and junior Niall Platt, who had the lowest scoring average for the team last season.
"Niall has played every varsity event since arriving here as a freshman," Irish coach Jim Kubinski said. His experience is a big plus in our lineup. [Platt and Sciupider both] earned their first individual collegiate wins last season, so they'll look to build upon that success."
Kubinski said the Irish are also looking toward senior Andrew Lane and junior Tyler Wingo to step up and lead the team.
"Both Andrew and Tyler played in this summer's U.S. Amateur, which is a great honor, so their experience is also important to us," Kubinski said.
The Irish are also bringing in three freshman golfers. Kubinski said the newcomers are all capable of earning a starting spot and competing individually for the Irish.
"I'm excited by this class," Kubinski said of the freshmen. "They've shown maturity beyond their years so far, which can only expedite their learning curve."
This season, the Irish will travel all around the country, playing in tournaments in San Diego, Naples, Fla. and San Antonio, among other places. Kubinski said the team is very excited about its upcoming travels.
"We're ready for our schedule this year," Kubinski said. "We're playing several courses that have served as major championship venues, such as Crooked Stick [in Carmel, Ind.], Kiawah's Ocean Course [in Kiawah Island, S.C.,] and Oak Hill [in Rochester, N.Y.]."
The Irish will start their season when they travel to Independence, Minn., on Sept. 8 for the Gopher Invitational.
Kubinski said his team has improved greatly and he has no doubt it will succeed.
"We have a group of talented young player, who have worked hard and gained experience," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting the season started and seeing more fight back in the Irish this year."
Contact Meri Kelly at mkelly29@nd.edu
