Despite lineup changes, Irish get the same result
By ERIK POWERS
Sports Writer
New faces, new places, but the same overall result.
Two weeks ago, the Irish finished 14th of 19 teams at the Laredo Border Olympics. This weekend Notre Dame tied for 13th of 18 teams at Ohio State's Robert Kepler Invitational. The Irish finished the tournament in 936 strokes (307-318-311), 43 strokes behind champion Ohio State.
Coach John Jasinski unveiled a pair of changes to his usual lineup. South Bend natives Gavin Frelic and K.C. Weisman replaced spring mainstays Tommy Balderston and Eric Deutsch. Frelic (78-83-82) finished in 84th place and Weisman (79-80-82) tied for 78th. Both Frelic and Weisman made their spring debuts after each appearing in one fall tournament.
"With the recent struggles that we've been having, coach decided to shake things up," Scott Gustafson said. "We had a one round qualifying, and [Weisman and Frelic] came out on top."
Brandon Lunke and Mark Baldwin finished the best among Irish golfers and tied for 30th place. Scott Gustafson (79-81-76) continued his strong season by capturing a tie for 60th place. Lunke (75-77-78) had a five stroke lead over Baldwin (75-80-75) after 36 holes, but Baldwin mounted a comeback during Sunday's final round in order to pull even. Afterwards, Lunke teased Baldwin about the freshman's ability to catch (but not overtake) him.
"[Lunke's] kind of like that, those Texas boys," Baldwin said. "He's a good captain and fills the role well. He's usually the only upperclassman who travels with us, so he rattles us freshmen well."
The invitational was played on Ohio State's 7,258-yard Scarlet Course. Although par was listed at 72, very few golfers threatened to break even. Individual champion Brad Heaven of Toledo (74-69-76) shot a three-over par 219, while runners up Zach Doran of Ohio State (69-77-74) and Patrick Nagle of Illinois (74-73-73) shot four-over 220's. As a team, even the Buckeyes (297-294-302) shot 29-over par on their home course.
"This was a very challenging course," Gustafson said. "We had pretty nice weather, but the course was really tough. The Ohio State coach is known for being tough with the pin placement. The shots were tight over bunkers and it was tough to get a good chance at birdies. It was the most challenging course of the spring."
The Irish hope that their own course will not be so treacherous this weekend. Notre Dame hosts the Big East Championship on April 21st-22nd. The winning team at the Warren Golf Course will automatically qualify for the NCAA championships.
"The Big East is the big one," Lunke said earlier in the season. "I'm working hard to get my game in shape. Last spring, the weather was bad. It will hopefully be better this year. We still need to work much harder."
Lunke, Baldwin, Deutsch and Gustafson are virtual locks for this weekend's roster. Either a healthy Balderston or the winner of a qualifying round will round compete in the fifth and final spot.
Gustafson knows how he and the other top four golfers will spend this week.
"I think all of us are planning on getting a lot of good preparation," Gustafson said. "We'll make sure our game is ready, and it's a relief that we don't have to worry about qualifying. It's a nice advantage to have the tournament right here."
The Irish host the Big East Championship at the Warren Golf Course from April 21-22. Play begins each morning at 8:00 a.m.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, April 15, 2003
