Notre Dame shot a final round 297 at this weekend's Augusta State Invitational, moving up one spot to finish tied for 11th place out of a strong 15-team field.
With scores of 299 and 293 during Saturday's two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club (par 72/7,265) in Evans, Ga., the Irish finished with a final team score of a 25-over par 899 - 35 strokes behind first-place finisher Coastal Carolina.
Notre Dame's score was strong enough to finish tied with Virginia Tech and ahead of No. 12 Tennessee. By finishing ahead of the Volunteers, Notre Dame beat a ranked opponent for the fourth time this season.
Leading the way for the Irish was junior co-captain Cole Isban, who finished with a score of even par 216 (74-67-75). His round of 67 on Saturday was the low round for Notre Dame over the weekend, and it vaulted him all the way into a tie for fourth place on an individual basis going into Sunday. Isban's round on Sunday of 75, however, dropped him back into a tie for 13th place.
Freshman Josh Sandman also made an impact for Notre Dame this weekend, as he finished tied for 25th with a score of a three-over par 219 (74-71-74). Sandman, who made his college debut this past weekend due to a nagging back injury in the fall, made up for lost time by being Notre Dame's most consistent performer at Augusta. He recorded an eagle on the fourth hole of his college career.
Senior tri-captains Scott Gustavson and Mark Baldwin shared 67th place as they finished with identical scores of 228. After shooting 78 in both his rounds on Saturday, Gustavson posted a 72 on Sunday, which was good enough for Notre Dame's low round of the day. Baldwin did not fare as well on Sunday, stumbling to a final round 78. Sunday's round was the first time in Baldwin's 21 rounds this season that his score was not counted towards the team's total.
Sophomore Mike King rounded out the scoring for Notre Dame, finishing 71st at 16-over par 232 (78-78-76).
The team will be in action again next weekend at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. The event will be hosted by Purdue, and it will take place at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex.
Head coach Jim Kubinski could not be reached for comment Sunday.
