After a tournament in which they improved their score every day, the Irish will play in the ACC championships this weekend.
The Bryan National Collegiate, Notre Dame’s last tournament, featured similar grass and similar competition to what the the Irish will see at ACCs. In that meet, they finished tied for seventh but only nine strokes back from first place. The squad’s worst showing came Friday, when Irish head coach Susan Holt said her players did not adjust well to the conditions. However, they posted the lowest round of the field Saturday, and Holt was pleased with their response.
“It was really windy [Friday],” Holt said. “The golf course we played was one of the tougher ones we played with all year, and we didn’t deal with the wind very well. On Saturday we had a nice comeback, and it came down to attitude and fighting through conditions. We talked about that on Friday night, and I think they took it to heart.”
The ability of the Irish to play well in tough conditions may come into play this weekend, as rain is in the forecast at Sedgefield Golf Club in Greensboro, North Carolina — the site of the ACC tournament. Rainy conditions tend to make the course longer because the ball won’t roll out as much, and it also increases the likelihood of losing footing during a swing, Holt said.
Despite the rainy conditions, Holt said she was very confident in her team’s chances to take home the title. Notre Dame has beaten many of the teams in the field at least once this season, and Holt said she believes her team is just as talented as the other top ACC teams.
“Conditions are going to be wet,” Holt said. “It’s going to rain tomorrow, and we will be fighting rain throughout the weekend. It’s the same for everybody though, and at this point throw talent out the window. We are competitive. We have beaten Virginia, Florida State, just not Wake Forest. Even Wake Forest, we have beaten on certain days, just not entire tournaments. This isn’t about talent, but about the teams that deal with the conditions the best. Talent-wise we are right there. The winner is going to be the team who can deal with the conditions the best.”
Overall, Holt said she and her squad are enthusiastic simply to be in the ACC and play against top-tier competition.
“We’re excited to be here,” she said. “We’re excited to be in the ACC. It’s a great golf conference. There are six teams in the top 32. If you are winning ACC championships, you’re also competing for national championships. There are five of six teams that really have a shot of winning this thing, and it should be a great weekend of golf.”
The Irish will play today and through the weekend in the ACC championships in Greensboro.
