Sept. 19, 1999
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Notre Dame men's golf team saw its
lead shrink slightly but still held on for a wire-to-wire first-place
finish-and a team-record score-in Sunday's final-round action at the Air
Force Falcon-Cross Creek Invitational, held at the par-72, 7,301-yard
Eisenhower Blue Golf Course.
Irish senior captain and local product Todd Vernon (Englewood,
Colo./Cherry Creek High School). failed to hold onto his slim lead among
the 120-player field, slipping to third place after a final-round 75.
Vernon-whose opening-round 66 on Friday was the best round by an Irish
golfer in 37 years-posted a three-round total of four-under 212 to finish
five shots behind Michigan's Michael Harris (67-71-69) and four strokes
behind Grand Canyon's John Davis (69-72-67).
Vernon tied the Notre Dame record for best 54-hole tournament
score (in relation to par), equaling the four-under total that has twice
been posted by his classmate Jeff Connell: at the Marshall Invitational in
the spring of 1998 (209, at the par-71 Guyan Country Club) and at the
par-72 Kentucky Invitational in the spring of '99 (212). Vernon' 212 total
also is tied with Connell's 212 for second in the Irish record book for
overall score.
Notre Dame headed into the final round with a 12-stroke cushion on
the 24-team field, thanks in large part to a team-record round of 13-under
275 in Friday's opening round. The Irish closed with a 302 on Sunday for a
total of four-over 868, besting the team record of nine-over 873 at the
Legends of Indiana Intercollegiate in the fall of 1997. Notre Dame came two
strokes shy of equaling the team record for best overall 54-hole score, set
last spring at the par-70 Kent State Collegiate (866, +26).
The team title is the 12th in the history of Notre Dame golf (among
fields of 10-plus teams)-since competition shifted to stroke-play in
1962-and ranks as easily the largest field ever defeated by a winning Notre
Dame team. The previous record was set at the 18-team 1997 Butler Spring
Invitational, when the Irish bested 17 other teams.
Runner-up Wyoming shot a final-round 298 to finish eight shots
behind the Irish, followed by three teams that tied for third at 881: Grand
Canyon, New Mexico State and Midwestern rival Michigan.
Notre Dame sophomore Steve Ratay-who played for the Irish during
the spring of his freshman year-closed out an impressive fall debut
performance, tying for 11th with a career-best 219 total (70-72-77). Junior
Alex Kent-who transferred from Saint Louis University prior to the 1998-99
season but did not play last season-also had a steady weekend, finishing
tied for 26th with a 222 total (74-73-75).
Connell bounced back from his second-round 82-all the more shocking
after he had opened with a 67-by posting a final-round 75 for a 224 total
and a share of 36th.
Junior Adam Anderson-who like Kent was making his first appearance
with the Irish-slipped to an 80 on Sunday for a 227 total (72-75-80) and a
tie for 52nd.
Anderson's first two rounds helped provide the winning margin for
the Irish in the final standings, as his first-round 72 saved two strokes
in the play-five, count-four format (allowing the Irish to throw out Kent's
74). Then, in the second round, Anderson's 75 saved seven shots off the
team score as Connell's 82 did no harm to the team total.
NOTES: Vernon's big weekend dropped his career stroke average from 75.89 to
75.66, remaining fifth-best in recorded team history (since 1954). Connell
remains sixth on that list, after dropping his career average from 75.97 to
75.91. ... Vernon has counted to the Irish four-man score in 69 of 80
career rounds-tying Joel Hepler (1993-97) for fourth-most at Notre Dame
during the 1990s (1998 graduate Bryan Weeks counted in 80 rounds while '97
grad Brian Donohoe counted 77 times and '99 grad Brad Hardin counted in
70). ... Connell has counted in 57 of 67 career rounds, good for seventh
all-time at Notre Dame (Chris O'Connell counted in 60.5 rounds from
1991-95). ... Vernon has now lead the Irish at eight career tournaments,
tied for eighth all-time at Notre Dame (since 1968) and tied with Hepler
for fourth-best in the 1990s (behind Weeks' 13, Donohoe's 10 and Chris
Dayton's 10 from 1990-93).
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (54 holes): 1. Notre Dame 275-291-302/868, 2.
Wyoming 283-295-298/876, 3. Grand Canyon 286-298-297/881, New Mexico
State 292-287-302/881, Michigan 287-296-298/881, 6. Air Force
290-288-307/885, 7. Texas-Wesleyan 292-292-304/888, 8. Xavier
285-298-308/891, 9. Idaho State 290-299-307/896, 10. Boise State
294-297-309/900, San Diego 297-291-312/900, Utah State 291-299-310/900,
13. Utah 296-306-299/901, 14. Air Force-B 301-288-313/902, 15. Weber
State 295-302-308/905, 16. New Mexico-B 293-304-309/906, 17.
Colorado-Colo. Springs 295-310-305/910, 18. Eastern Washington
303-305-303/911, 19. Tulane 297-306-309/912, 20. Portland State
303-300-311/914, 21. Illinois 309-298-314/919, 22. Tennessee-Chattanooga
307-298-314/919, 23. Southern Utah 306-305-312/923, 24. Denver
305-308-314/927.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 120): 1. Michael Harris (MICH) 67-71-69/207, 2. John
Davis (GC) 69-72-67/208, 3. Todd Vernon (ND) 66-71-75/212, 4. Scott
Lieberwish (NMSU) 71-68-74/213, 5. Tim McMillan (TXWS) 74-69-71/214,
David Hearn (WYO) 68-74-72/214, 7. Ken Franklin (IDST) 69-70-76/215, 8.
Jon Babich (NMSU) 70-73-74/217, Matt Sakowitz (AFA-B) 73-66-78/217,
Reid Lende (WYO) 71-75-71/217.
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES: 11. Steve Ratay 70-72-77/219, 26. Alex Kent
74-73-75/222, 36. Jeff Connell 67-82-75/224, 52. Adam Anderson
72-75-80/227.
