April 18, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Notre Dame men's golf team fell into a tie for ninth place in final-round action Sunday at the 31st annual Ohio State Kepler Intercollegiate, with Irish seniors Willie Kent and Brad Hardin both posting top-20 finishes.
Notre matched its opening-round by posting a 310 on Sunday for a 925 total, tying host Ohio State for ninth place in the 15-team field-just two shots behind Michigan and five behind Miami (Ohio) and Toledo. The Irish headed into the final round tied with Michigan State but the Spartans used a 308 to edge past Notre Dame. Toledo also rocketed past the Irish thanks to a final-round 297.
Northwestern took the team title with a three-round score of 899, besting runner-up Wisconsin by eight shots. Northwestern's Luke Donald shot a 69 for a 216 total, five shots ahead of runner-up Matt Abbott of Penn State.
Kent used a final round 74 to earn a share of 13th at 226 while Hardin's final 77 landed him in a tied for 18th at 228. Kent tied for the tournament's fifth-best scoring on the par-five holes (-2) while Notre Dame as a team ranked eighth with 20 total birdies.
Junior Todd Vernon wrapped up his weekend with a 79 for a 233 total while classmate Jeff Connell completed a disappointing three rounds with an 80 for a 241 total. Freshman Chris Whitten posted an 80 for a 246 total in his first action with the Irish starting five.
NOTES: Kent (74.83) edged ahead of Hardin (75.00) atop the Irish stroke averages chart for 1998-99 (just two shots separate them, over 27 rounds) ... Hardin (74.86) still owns the team's top spring average, followed by Kent (74.86) ... other averages for 1998-99 include Connell (75.84) and Vernon (77.41) ... Whitten has averaged 80.80 strokes in five rounds this spring ... with two regular-season events left to play, Kent (74.63) has slipped to third on the Irish career stroke average list, behind Charles Thurn (74.43, 1956-58) and Joseph Grace (74.56, 1956-58) ... Connell (76.09) remains sixth on that list while Vernon (76.15) is seventh ... Hardin has dropped his career average to 76.65 (14th-best in Irish history), after entering his senior season with a 78.00 career average ... Kent and Hardin's current 1998-99 averages rank second and third-best at Notre Dame in the 1990s (Vernon averaged 74.59 in 1997-98) ... Connell's current 1998-99 average would rank fifth in the Irish 1990s record book ... just four Irish golfers have played more tournaments in the '90s than Hardin (30): Brian Donohoe (38, '93-'97), Bryan Weeks (34, '94-'98), Joe Dennen (34, '90-'93) and Joel Hepler (33, '93-'97) ... Hardin's 82 rounds played rank third by an Irish player in the decade, behind Weeks (93) and Donohoe (92) ... Hardin also ranks third in rounds counted to team score in the '90s, with 64 (Weeks had 80, Donohoe 77) ... rounds counted to team score in '98-'99 (of 27): Kent 26, Hardin 25, Connell 21 (of 25) and Vernon 18 ... career rounds counted: Kent (39 of 41), Vernon (60 of 71), Connell (50 of 58) and Hardin (64 of 82).
TEAM STANDINGS:
1. Northwestern 301-300-298/899
2. Wisconsin 303-298-306/907
3. Illinois 305-306-299/910
4. Kent 311-295-308/914
5. Michigan 304-310-301/915
6. Miami, Ohio 306-305-309/920
Toledo 308-315-297/920
8. Michigan State 314-301-308/923
9. Notre Dame 310-305-310/925
Ohio State 320-302-303/925
11. Penn State 314-311-301/926
12. Indiana 307-314-306/927
13. Purdue 313-307-309/929
14. Iowa 322-310-315/947
15. Marshall 318-322-318/958
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 75):
1. Luke Donald (NW) 74-73-69/216
2. Matt Abbott (PSU) 77-72-72/221
DA. Points (ILL) 73-76-72/221
4. Jon Mills (WIS) 77-73-72/222
5. C.J. Brock (WIS) 74-72-77/223
6. Chuck Radabaugh (TOL) 73-75-76/224
Albert Hromulak (OSU) 73-75-76/224
John Carlson (WIS) 75-75-74/224
9. Chris Emanuel (OSU) 83-69-73/225
Ryan Miller (PUR) 75-77-73/225
Jess Daley (NW) 75-74-76/225
Jim Lemon (WIS) 77-73-75/225
NOTRE DAME SCORES:
13. Willie Kent 77-75-74/226
18. Brad Hardin 76-75-77/228
36. Todd Vernon 78-76-79/233
60. Jeff Connell 79-82-80/241
70. Chris Whitten 87-79-80/246
