After taking an extended period of time off, the Irish will look to get back on track as they prepare for this weekend's Rod Myers Invitational.
The Irish will travel to the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday to compete in their first event since Sept. 30, when they competed in the Fighting Irish Golf Classic at Warren Golf Course. The Irish finished seventh in their home event.
According to Irish head coach James Kubinski, the nearly two-week break was helpful for the team’s psyche.
“Our first focus was to take a couple days and be college students,” Kubinski said. “We had competed every weekend for a month, whether in tournaments or at home in qualifying, so we used this past weekend to get a fresh start, looking at these next two tournaments as the next portion of our schedule.”
The Irish have played consistently throughout the season, and Kubinski said he believes his team is still capable of getting better.
“We've posted five scores [of our 11 team rounds] in the 280s so far, very much high level play,” Kubinski said. “I believe we've averaged 284 in those five rounds, which is six shots per round better than defending national champion Alabama right now. The issue has been the five rounds when we posted a score over 300. Our good is very good. Our goal now though is to see each of our guys find a way back to comfortable on those days when things, whatever they are, seem uncomfortable. Saving shots on those days when we're a little off is huge for us.”
In addition to a steady level of play, Kubinski stressed the importance of receiving good play from everyone in the lineup, not just one player.
“I'm not looking at any one player [to step up] in particular,” Kubinski said. “It's imperative for us to have four or all five players in the mix to help our team score.”
Kubinski said he also looks forward to traveling to the Duke University Golf Club, as he has prior experience on the course. He served an assistant coach at Duke from 2003 to 2005, and prior to his tenure as assistant, Kubinski served as co-head golf professional at the Duke University Golf Club for three years.
“Having spent 5 years at Duke, the golf course is very familiar to me,” Kubinski said. “The key will be to learn the greens, as they've installed Champion Bermuda [greens]. I'm guessing the greens will be quick, so keeping your approach shot in good position will be the difference between good birdie chances and chasing pars.”
The Irish resume play Friday at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina. The tournament starts Friday and continues through Saturday.
