Notre Dame looks to compete for the title in the Big East championships as it heads to Palm Harbor, Fla., for a three-round tournament starting Sunday.
The Irish are hoping to come out strong as they bring back some experience from last year's tournament. Senior Annie Brophy and sophomore So-Hyun Park both tied for ninth place in last year's championships. Both Brophy and Park will be in the hunt for the individual title this year.
Brophy was named Big East Golfer of the Week on Wednesday for her performance at the SunTrust Gator Invitational. She recorded an 11th-place finish, her fourth top-15 finish of the season.
"Annie winning Big East player of the week honors this past week puts her in a good place mentally going into the championship," Irish coach Susan Holt said. "Playing well builds confidence, and I think she is very confident right now. She has played very steady all spring."
Brophy is not the onlybright spot on the team entering the tournament. Holt said the depth of the team could spark the team to a strong showing.
"I look for [junior] Katie Conway and So-Hyun Park to play a key role in our success this tournament," Holt said. "I think if both of them show up it will put us in a great position to win."
The Big East championships will pose a tough challenge for the Irish. There will be many strong teams there looking to capture the title, but the Irish know what they need to do to win. Entering the tournament with the right mindset will make all the difference.
"Our biggest competition this week will be with ourselves," Holt said. "As a team we need to stay focused, confident and composed for three rounds of golf; if we can do that I think we will get the result we want."
The Irish tee off in Florida Sunday, and the tournament concludes Tuesday.
