Notre Dame saw its two-stroke lead slip away Monday at the 2012 Big East championship after the Irish shot a 25-over-par 313 in the second round to fall behind tournament leader South Florida by five strokes. South Florida posted an 18-over-par 306, seven shots better than the Irish to take the lead.
Individually, Irish freshman Ashley Armstrong continued her strong play, holding on to a share of the individual lead after two days of golf. Armstrong carded a five-over 77 Monday, giving her a total of 150 through 36 holes. She is tied with South Florida's Amy West for the low score through two rounds.
Though she remained in the lead, Armstrong was not completely pleased with her performance, she said.
"Well, the conditions were a bit crazy today, it was just one of those days where nothing was working," Armstrong said. "It was a little bit of a struggle, I need to work on putting."
Coming into the 18th green, Armstrong hooked her approach wide into a group of trees. Needing a par to stay even with the leader, Armstrong landed her chip shot within a couple of feet of the hole and sunk her putt to keep her lead.
"I was pretty angry after pulling the ball that far, but I put it exactly where I wanted to on the chip," Armstrong said. "I was able to put it on the green and it stuck near the hole."
Following Armstrong for the Irish are senior Becca Huffer and sophomore Kristina Nhim, who are tied with scores of 152, eight-over-par. Both Huffer and Nhim are two strokes off of the individual lead.
Freshman Kelli Oride turned in an 80 on Monday, bringing her total score to an 11-over 155. This was good for a tie for 12th place after two rounds.
Rounding out Notre Dame's roster of five was senior Katie Allare, who is tied for 29th place after 36 holes of golf. Allare turned in a score of 85 Monday.
"We're such a good team, we need to play okay and really focus and realize every single shot counts, no matter how long," Armstrong said. "Putting will be crucial."
Though the postseason may be pressure-filled, Armstrong said she is still enjoying the tournament.
"There's a lot more pressure than the normal tournaments, but I'm enjoying it a lot and having a lot of fun with my team," Armstrong said.
Notre Dame will try to come from behind and win their second straight Big East title when they tee off the final round at 8:50 a.m. today.
Contact Nick Boyle at nboyle1@nd.edu
