Kent takes fifth, Irish finish third in Big East tourney
By KEVIN BERCHOU
Sports Writer
It was a tale of two seasons for Notre Dame men's golf team. After a sterling autumn that saw them surge into the nation's top 25, the Irish experienced a significant fall in confidence in the early spring and could never recapture their early season success.
After averaging a paltry 292 strokes per round in the fall, the Irish stumbled in spring play and saw their aggregate stroke total soar to 303 strokes per round.
"We just struggled in the spring," junior star Alex Kent admitted. "We just [seemed] to lose confidence."
Coach George Thomas agreed. "We seemed to lose our momentum somewhere along the line," he said.
Nowhere was that lost momentum more apparent than at the Big East Championships, held on campus at the new Warren Golf Course this past weekend. Entering tournament play as one of the favorites, the Irish disappointed. After finishing the first day in fourth place, the team failed to overcome a 14-stroke deficit to eventual champion Seton Hall. Rutgers was also able to sneak ahead of Notre Dame, leaving the Irish with an uninspired third place finish.
"We were very mediocre," Thomas said. "I think the excitement of having the inaugural home tournament put some added pressure on the kids and they didn't respond very well."
After a total of 304 on the tournament's first day, the Irish fared much better in the second round, matching the Pirates of Seton Hall shot for shot with a solid 290.
"Everyone tried really hard out there," Kent said. "We put a lot of hard work and practice into this, we just lost our focus and didn't execute well."
"I was disappointed with the team's effort as a whole," Thomas said. "I really expected much more."
The lone bright spot for the Irish was Kent, who shot a remarkable final round 68 that included five birdies. Kent's score of 145 placed him fifth in a field of 45 and earned him a spot on the Big East All-Conference team.
"Kent played admirably," Coach Thomas said. "I'm really excited about his development in the future."
Kent was also happy with his play, particularly pleased with the fact that he was able to bounce back from an opening-round 77.
"My putting was awful on the first day. I couldn't make anything, and my confidence spiraled downward from there," he admitted. "On the second day, I could have made a few more putts but I was happy about the way I played."
Kent finished four strokes behind Seton Hall junior Eugene Smith, who tied a tournament record with a 141.
Sunday also marked a sad end for the careers of two players who have been cornerstones of the Irish program. Seniors Todd Vernon and Jeff Connell sunk their final collegiate putts, and finished with two-day totals of 149 and 154 respectively.
Other action of note Rutgers sophomore Daniel Lee sunk three bunker shots and carded seven birdies on the final day en route to a final round 66 that broke the Big East championship record by three shots and established a Warren Gold Course record.
All in all, it was a tough end to a tough second half of the season for the Notre Dame golf team. A deep talent pool has the Irish hoping to dive into next year's with hopes of renewed success.
All Sports Stories for Monday, May 1, 2000
