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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Team heads to tuneup for conference tourney

For the second consecutive weekend, Notre Dame will have to contend with Mother Nature as well as the other teams in the tournament field. In their final event before the Big East Championships, the Irish will head to Columbus, Ohio, for the Kepler Intercollegiate at the Scarlet Course of the Ohio State Golf Club. "[The course] is going to play tough," Irish senior co-captain Cole Isban said. "It's difficult to begin with and the wind and snow we're expecting is just going to add to that." Last week, the Irish carded an eighth-place team score amid rain and strong winds at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.In Columbus, Notre Dame will take on a number of regional foes, including the Buckeyes, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State. "We're just looking to get some district wins against some of those teams," Isban said. This tournament will also mark the first one of the season in which the Irish will have the opportunity to take on Louisville, a team Isban calls Notre Dame's most formidable Big East opponent. "We get to take on Louisville so that should give us a good idea of where we stand," Isban said. Along with Isban, the Irish will send senior co-captain, junior Greg Rodgers, sophomore Josh Sandman, and freshman Doug Fortner to compete in the team's final tune-up before the conference tournament. Freshman Mike King will also play in the Kepler Intercollegiate as an individual performer. "It's going to be an important weekend for us," Isban said. Practice rounds will be held today. Each team will play two 18-hole rounds Saturday and one on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to top out in the mid-40s with constant precipitation likely throughout the weekend.