Oct. 6, 1999
FRANKLIN, Ind. - Notre Dame sophomore Steve Ratay (Arlington
Heights, Ill./John Hersey HS) held on to capture medalist honors while the
Irish finished tied for first with Miami of Ohio in the 16-team field,
following final-round action Tuesday at the annual Legends of Indiana
Intercollegiate, held at the par-72, 7,044-yard Legends of Indiana Golf
Course.
The final 16-team standings mark the first time in the history of
the Notre Dame men's golf program that an Irish squad has finished first in
back-to-back tournaments. Notre Dame opened the 1999 fall season by winning
the 24-team Air Force Invitational (Sept. 17-19), with a school-record
score of four-over 868.
The strong start provides a huge boost to Notre Dame's hopes for
securing the program's first appearance in the NCAA Championship since
1966. The Irish were in the running for NCAA bids during each of the past
two seasons, but had to rally in the sprain after sub-par fall
performances.
Ratay-who opened with rounds of 71 and 70 on Monday-closed with a
73 on Tuesday for a 214 total, edging Marshall's Aaron Williams (71-71-71)
by a single stroke to finish atop the 80-player field. Ratay's two-under
214 total represents the fourth-best 54-hole score in team history and
marks just the fourth time that an Irish golfer has finished under par
during a 54-hole intercollegiate event.
Current senior Jeff Connell holds the 54-hole scoring record
(four-under 209 at the Marshall Invitational in the spring of 1998) while
Connell also shot a four-under 212 at the Kentucky Invitational last
spring. Current senior captain Todd Vernon matched that score earlier this
fall at the Air Force Invitational (each of the above efforts are tied for
the best Irish 54-hole score, in relation to par).
Notre Dame opened with rounds of 296-294 on Monday but trailed
Louisville (298-291) by a single stroke. The Irish then closed with a
strong round of 283 in the play-five, count-four format while Louisville
dropped to fifth with a closing 294. Miami (302-293-283) used a strong
final round to forge the first-place tie.
Irish junior Alex Kent, playing just his second career tournament
with the Irish, provided a big boost for the Irish with a final-round 69,
placing the brother of former Irish great Willie Kent in a tie for sixth
with a 217 total (72-76-69). Vernon, who finished third at Air Force, tied
for ninth with a 218 total (76-71-71) while junior Adam Anderson (77-77-75)
rounded out the Irish continent.
Notre Dame's first-place finish was more impressive due to the
limited contributions by Connell, with the Irish essentially playing as a
four-man team. Connell, who withdrew from the first round after aggravating
a wrist injury, returned for the second and third rounds but did not count
to the team score, after recording rounds of 78 and 80 (his career average
is 76.0).
Ratay posted Notre Dame's fifth medalist finish in an
intercollegiate tournament during the last three seasons, spanning 22
tournaments. He is the fourth different Irish golfer to win a tournament
since the fall of 1997. Notre Dame golfers also have finished as runner-up
at six different tournaments since the fall of 1997, with an impressive
total of six different players posting first or second-place finishes
during that span (see notes below).
Miami technically was awarded the team title, with the tie broken
by fifth-man score. Miami's Ryan Lagergren shot 78-73-77 to best Connell's
overall (N.A.) and third-round score.
NOTES
Notre Dame's 878 total (+14) ties for fifth in the
Irish record book and is the third-best score in relation to par, trailing
the recent four-over 868 at Air Force and the nine-over 873 at the Legends
of Intercollegiate in the fall of 1997. Notre Dame's third-round 288
(even) marks just the eighth time in team history that the Irish have shot
par or better during intercollegiate competition, with all but one of those
rounds taking place during the past three years. Ratay posted the 21st
medalist finish in Notre Dame men's golf history and the 11th of the 1990s. Just three previous Irish golfers have won an intercollegiate
tournament with larger fields than the 1999 Legends' 80-player event:
Willie Kent won the 108-player Golden Ocala Invitational in the spring of
1999 (138), Bryan Weeks won the 90-player Butler Spring Invitational in the
spring of 1998 (142) and Chris Dayton won the 90-player Indiana
Intercollegiate in the fall of 1991 (142). Other Irish medalist efforts
during the past three years include: Vernon's win at the 45-player BIG EAST
Championship in the fall of 1997 (141) and Willie Kent's share of first at
the 66-player Iowa Intercollegiate in the fall for 1998 (216). The six
runner-up finishes during the past three years include two each by 1999
graduate Brad Hardin, Connell and Willie Kent. Vernon leads Notre Dame
during the 1999 fall with a 71.66 stroke average, followed by Ratay
(72.17),Kent (73.17), Anderson (76.0) and Connell (76.0). Ratay and
Vernon have counted to the team score in all six rounds this fall, followed
by Kent (5), Anderson (5) and Connell (2). Vernon dropped his career
stroke average from 75.66 to 75.57, remaining fifth-best in recorded team
history (since 1954). Connell remains sixth on that list (76.00).
Vernon has counted to the Irish four-man score in 72 of 83 career
rounds-third-most at Notre Dame during the 1990s (Weeks counted in 80
rounds while '97 grad Brian Donohoe counted 77 times). Connell has
counted in 57 of 69 career rounds, good for seventh all-time at Notre Dame
(Chris O'Connell counted in 60.5 rounds from 1991-95). As a team, Notre
Dame is averaging an impressive four-man score of 291.0 (72.75 per counted
score), compared to a 295.50 average in 1998 at the Air Force Invitational
and Legends of Invitational. Ratay played for the Irish in several
spring of 1999 tournaments before opening the '99 fall season with an
impressive 11th-place finish at Air Force (219). Vernon led through two
rounds in that event before finishing third, at 212 (he an Connell share
the Irish record for best 54-hole score in relation to par). Ratay did
not play at the Legends in the fall of 1998, when the Irish finished a
disappointing ninth (893), and had no previous experience on the course
prior to this year's event.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS (54 holes): 1. Notre Dame 296-294-288/878,
Miami, Ohio 302-293-283/878, 3. Eastern Kentucky 304-295-283/882, Indiana
302-297-294/882, 5. Louisville 293-291-294/883, Wisconsin
300-294-289/883, 7. Kentucky 308-289-288/885, 8. Eastern Michigan
304-292-290/886, Ohio University 292-303-291/886, 10. Cincinnati
303-298-286/887, 11. Marshall 313-293-282/888, 12. Western Kentucky
303-304-294/906, 13. Marquette 304-304-294/906, 14. Georgetown
308-306-297/911, 15. Xavier 310-312-289/911, 16. Ball State
316-307-293/916.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 80): 1. Steve Ratay (ND) 71-70-73/214, 2.
Aaron Williams (MAR) 73-71-71/215, 3. Eric Herberth (OU) 70-76-70/216,
Adam Speirs(MIA) 73-72-71/216, Brandon Tucker (EKU) 73-74-69/216, 6. Jim
Herman (CIN) 75-73-69/217, Chris Campbell (LOU) 72-72-73/217, Alex Kent
(ND) 72-76-69/217, 9. Todd Vernon (ND) 76-71-71/218, Ron Layman (KY)
75-73-70/218, Andreas Huber (GU) 72-73-73/218, Jeff Ritchey (MIA)
77-75-66/218, A.T. Spires (OU) 71-75-72/218, Drew Meyer (IU)
72-75-71/218.
OTHER NOTRE DAME SCORES: 54. Adam Anderson 77-77-75/229, Jeff
Connell WD-80-78.
