The six members of the Notre Dame women’s golf team spent a week this summer in Scotland and Northern Ireland, playing various courses and refining their play. Irish head coach Susan Holt was glad to see her players take time out of their busy summer schedules to prepare for the upcoming season.
“We had a lot of our players doing internships and studying abroad,” she said. “They had a lot of other things going on this summer, so getting them back into golf mode a little bit earlier in the preseason was good.”
The Irish will look to build on that extra preparation when they begin fall competition next week at the Minnesota Invitational. Notre Dame can expect to see a lot of production from its three seniors: Emma Albrecht, Isabella DiLisio and Maddie Hamilton. The group has been an integral part of the program for three years, Holt says.
“They’ve played in pretty much every single tournament since they’ve set foot on campus,” she said. “We have a really good core group of leaders who have [been having] really good careers. I think they’re going to do a lot for the team this year and carry a good part of the load.”
The Irish will be returning two other key contributors from last season. Sophomore Abby Heck and junior Mia Ayer are expected to continue making a positive impact on the course.
“Mia and Abby have played in just about every tournament since they’ve been here as well, and I look for them to step up,” Holt said.
Freshman Claire Albrecht, Emma Albrecht’s younger sister, will round out Notre Dame’s roster. Holt has liked what she’s seen from the younger Albrecht in the preseason.
“Claire’s a good player,” she said. “She played really well in qualifying, and I look for her to be able to contribute to the success of the team as well.”
The Irish are looking forward to starting off the season at Minnesota. The team took part in the event for the first time last year, performing well and placing third overall.
“We played well, [the team] finished third, finished under par for the tournament; we played really solid,” Holt said. “The girls liked the course, and I know they’re excited to go back.”
Holt is hoping Notre Dame can try to replicate some of last year’s success there next week.
“If we can get off to a top-four start, I’ll be really happy with it,” she said. “[It’s about] just going out and playing the kind of golf we’re capable of playing, and that golf course sets up really well for this group ... I think they’ll play well.”
The Minnesota Invitational will be held over the course of next Monday and Tuesday. All competition will take place at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury, Minn.
Notre Dame heads into season with big leaders and big expectations
Ann Curtis
Irish freshman Claire Albrecht practices her putting stroke during an exhibition at Warren Golf Course on Aug. 24th.
