During spring break, Notre Dame will be busy as the Irish host the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona, at Longbow Golf Club.
The Irish opened their spring campaign two weeks ago at the Westbrook Spring Invitational, where the team finished sixth among a field of 15 teams. Despite dropping four strokes in the final three holes on the last day of the tournament, Irish head coach Susan Holt said she feels her team is ahead of where it should be at this point in the season, and is focused on improving as the Clover Cup approaches.
“After the tournament, they all had their own areas they needed to work on, so we’ve had a really good couple of weeks of practice,” Holt said. “I was happy with the overall play from the tournament, I mean first tournament out and we played really well and shot below our stroke average for the year and there were a lot of positives. I feel like we’re ahead of the curve as far as preparations from where we would normally be this time of year.”
Holt also said she is excited to host the Clover Cup and plans to get in multiple practice rounds before the tournament begins.
"I'm excited for the tournament in Arizona, especially since it's a tournament we host and there's a lot to do with all of that and with the planning," Holt said. "I think we are in pretty good shape. We are going to get out there on Saturday so we are actually going to get four practice rounds in before the event and have four solid days of practice and play so I think we will be ready to go once the tournament starts."
Led by senior captain Talia Campbell, who finished in ninth at the Westbrook Spring Invitational, the No. 25 Irish will compete against a field that includes TCU, SMU, Oklahoma, Tulsa and Arizona State, among others. Holt said the team will rely on the freshmen trio of Isabella DiLisio, Emma Albrecht and Maddie Hamilton, who came in ninth, 33rd and 48th respectively in the Westbrook Invitational, to perform well again. Entering the tournament, Holt said the Irish expect to face stiff competition from SMU, TCU and Oklahoma.
"Well based on the rankings, I mean, we are the best ranked team in the field," she said. "SMU, they beat us by one shot at the last tournament we played in and they are ranked right behind us so I think they are our most immediate competition. There's also TCU — they're a good team — Oklahoma, so I think us and those three teams will probably be in contention come the last day."
“[The freshmen] have certainly been a big part of our success,” Holt said. “I thought all three played really well in the first event of the spring and I’m just looking for them to continue their good play.”
Sophomore Kari Bellville and junior Jordan Ferreira will also be important factors in the contest. Bellville finished tied for 79th at the Westbrook Spring Invitational with a 15-over par 231, while Ferreira tied for 56th place with an eight-over par score of 224. Holt said she likes her team's depth and that the team's busy schedule will allow it to improve rapidly as the spring season picks up.
“We’ve had really good team depth and team effort all year and we’re going to really need that to continue as we move through our spring schedule,” Holt said. “We have big goals and I think this team is good enough to do some really special things this spring. We're just excited to get things going, because when we play three tournaments in a month, we're gonna be super busy. But I'm also excited for the fact that I think our weather is going start turning once we get back. It's supposed to be in the 50s and 60s which means we should be able to get outside and practice here, which is huge as well."
The Irish tee-off March 11 in Mesa, Arizona, for the Clover Cup.
