Oct. 23, 2000
PARRISH, Fla. - Freshman Shannon Byrne turned in one of her top
rounds of the season and senior captain Shane Smith continued her solid
play while the Notre Dame women's golf team settled in at 11th place,
following first-round action Monday at the Central District Classic.
The tournament-originally scheduled for 36 holes on Monday, with a final
round on Tuesday-includes several of the top teams from the Big Ten
Conference, plus Kent State, Arkansas and Baylor.
Byrne posted a team-best 79 at the par-72, 6,113-yard River Wilderness
Country Club, good for a share of 24th in the 55-player field. Byrne's
81.00 season stroke average (third-best on the team) includes three sub-80
scores in her last six rounds.
Smith-whose 81.98 career stroke average is on pace to best the Irish record
of 82.10, set by 1998 graduate Katie King-opened with an 80, for a share of
34th. Smith, who posted an 80.38 stroke average in 1999-2000, saw her 2000
fall average rise slightly to 79.40 (still below King's '97-'98 record of
79.50).
Junior Kristin McMurtrie (83) and sophomore Terri Taibl (89) also counted
to the team score in the play-five, count-four format while freshman
Rebecca Rogers (90) rounded out the Irish contingent, just one week after
winning the Notre Dame Invitational with a three-round 225.
The Irish head into Tuesday's action within range of several teams,
including Illinois (318), Baylor (320) and Wisconsin (321). Northwestern
leads the event after an opening-round 300, followed closely by Ohio State
(302), Michigan State (303) and Michigan State (304).
OSU's Ashley Lowery leads the individual competition, followed by
Northwestern teammates Lauren Grzebien and Elizabeth Burden (both at 73).
TEAM STANDINGS (18 holes): 1. Northwestern 300, 2. Ohio State 302, 3.
Michigan State 303, 4. Michigan 304, 5. Kent State 310, 6. Minnesota
313, 7. Arkansas 315, 8. Illinois 318, 9. Baylor 320, 10. Wisconsin
321, 11. Notre Dame 331.
TOP INDIVIDUALS (of 55): 1. Ashley Lowery (OSU) 72, 2. Lauren Grzebien
(NW) 73, Elizabeth Burden (NW) 73, 4. Stacy Snider 74, Mollie Fankhauser
(OSU) 74, Courtney Reno (MICH) 74, Misia Lemanski (MICH) 74, 8. Jan
Dowling (KENT) 75, Emily Bastel (MSU) 75, Emily Gilley (NW) 75.
NOTRE DAME SCORES: 24. Shannon Byrne 79, 34. Shane Smith 80, 50. Kristin
McMurtrie 83, 54. Terri Taibl 89, 55. Rebecca Rogers 90.
