Notre Dame put forth a strong showing in the opening day of the fall season's final tournament in Beallsville, Md., on Monday. With one round left to play, the Irish are one stroke back of Toledo at the Georgetown Invitational.
Last week, the Irish sent four individual competitors to the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational in Muncie, Ind. Sophomores Peyton Vitter, Patrick Grahek, David Lowe and Tyler Wingo made the short trip. Wingo turned in a strong showing in the three-round tournament, using matching rounds of 69 in his final two outings to finish tied for second at two-over-par after an opening-round 74.
"Tyler did a fantastic job," Irish coach Jim Kubinski said. "I actually saw a lot of his first round and what I liked was he was a little bit off his game but he just kept grinding out there and he got in with a 74. But then he played really super golf ... I think that's the type of golf we expected from Tyler when we recruited him, and the experience he is getting this year having a chance to play, and he's doing a great job. He learns every time out ... and he's figuring things out as we go and he's doing a super job."
Vitter placed second among Irish competitors with his finish of 10-over-par, good for a share of 13th place. Grahek was not far behind at 12-over-par and tied for 19th place. Lowe rounded out the Irish slate and finished tied for 28th with his three-day score of 17-over-par.
Both Wingo and Vitter are among Irish competitors at the Georgetown Invitational - Wingo as part of the starting lineup and Vitter as an individual.
On Monday, the Irish worked their way into a share of the lead with Toledo after both teams shot rounds of 290 in the morning play. Notre Dame improved to shoot 286 in the afternoon but fell one stroke behind the Rockets, who turned in a second round of 285. Michigan State recorded the low round of the day with its second-round score of 280. The Spartans sit in third after beginning the day with a round of 300.
Irish senior co-captain Paul McNamara recorded consecutive rounds of 71 to pace Notre Dame at even par for the day. McNamara is tied for fourth, four strokes back of leader Brian Churchill-Smith from Eastern Michigan.
"Paul actually started out with two double bogeys but then he played four-under the rest of the day to shoot even," Kubinski said. "He was the low man [from our team] this morning."
Irish junior Niall Platt and Wingo are currently tied for 10th at two-over-par with junior Andrew Lane following at four-over-par and tied for 17th. Wingo turned in Notre Dame's lowest round of the day with his round of one-under 70 in the afternoon. Junior co-captain Andrew Carreon finished at nine-over-par after carding a second-round 77 and is tied for 42nd. Vitter is tied for 45th at ten-over-par.
As they head into the final round of their fall season, the Irish are in a good position, Kubinski said.
"Honestly, we made several double bogeys today," he said. "We got off to a rough start in both rounds but then we played super. So if we can just get out to a good start tomorrow I think we can win it."
The final round of the Georgetown Intercollegiate will begin at 8:30 a.m. today on The Members Club at Four Streams.
Contact Joseph Monardo at jmonardo@nd.edu
