Irish win 2nd Notre Dame Invite in 3 years
By: ANDY TROEGER
Sports Writer
The Notre Dame womens golf team had high expectations coming into this weekend's Notre Dame Invitational, and they did not disappoint.
Led by a mixture of youth and depth, the Irish captured the event by three strokes over Western Michigan. The Irish also placed five individuals in the top 20.
"It's an excellent start for us," Irish coach Debby King said. "We are right now concentrating on staying in the present moment. We're not thinking of the past, not thinking of the future, but just taking care of business."
The Irish fired a team total of 945 (316-310-319) to hold off Western Michigan's hard charge in the final round. Despite being 14 strokes back heading into the final round of play, the Broncos scored a tournament best 308 for a 948 total. Northern Iowa held second place heading into Sunday but struggled to a 325 to finish third.
The Irish were led by one of four freshmen in the lineup, Lauren Gebauer. The rookie tied for the lead after the first 18 holes and finished in a tie for fifth individually at 234 (75-77-82). Since Gebauer competed as an individual last week at Michigan State, it was the first time she contributed to the team's score.
"It really was a carry over from last week when I shot a 76 in the last round," Gebauer said. "It just got me to work harder in practice and to really focus on this tournament."
The rest of the Irish squad also made important contributions as three other golfers finished in the top 20. Junior Shannon Byrne fired a 239 (82-77-80) to tie for 15th, while freshman Sarah Bassett tied for 18th at 241 (78-78-85) and classmate Katie Brophy finished tied for 20th with 242 (87-78-77).
Former Notre Dame Invitational medalist Rebecca Rogers fired 248 (83-85-80) and Lauren Barbir added a 249 (81-85-83) to round out the Irish team total.
In addition to winning the team title, Irish sophomore Karen Lotta finished tied for third overall in the individual competition. Lotta fired a 72 Sunday, the low round of the tournament. She finished two shots off the pace set by Allison Cusick of Cincinnati who finished at 230 (77-75-78). Evansville's Andrea Werner finished second at 231 (79-77-75).
"This win bodes well for the future," said Gebauer, describing the impact of winning their home invitational. "The team's really excited. I think the high expectations made us really concentrate and focus on this week. We weren't going to look past this."
King also noted how the play of the younger members of the team will build for the future.
"This early success helps build a program," King said. "It's neat to have such young players who are mature enough to travel already, and it really makes us look forward to the future."
Notes:
Next up for the Irish is the Shootout at the Legends, held in Franklin, Ind., on Oct. 7 and 8.
Freshman Suzie Hayes and senior Terri Taibl also competed as individuals in the event. Hayes tied for 31st at 245 (85-82-78) while Taibl tied for 64th with 255 (84-86-85).
The Irish won the event for the second time in three years. They won the inaugural event in 2000 by 30 strokes over Princeton.
All Sports Stories for Monday, September 30, 2002
