March 9, 2000
By Pete LaFleur
One of the unique aspects in college golf is the split-season
format, with teams playing a handful of tournaments in the fall and the
ensuing spring. And after an unusual - but often promising - 1999 fall
season, the Notre Dame women's golf team is eager to resume play in the
upcoming spring.
The Irish entered the fall without the services of senior captain
Andrea Klee, who ended up missing all four fall events due to a lingering
arm injury that leaves her status uncertain for the spring. Another
experienced veteran, senior Beth Cooper, elected not to compete in order to
give the younger players the chance to play while Cooper worked towards her
degree in finance, ultimately graduating after the 1999 fall semester.
Further misfortune struck junior Mary Klein prior to the
season-opening Lady Northern Invitational, as Klein was sidelined due to a
neck injury before returning for the Michigan Invitational.
But through it all, seventh-year head coach Ross Smith and the
Irish squad remained upbeat by embracing the room for improvement that
comes with a competition season spanning eight months.
"After Andrea was injured and Beth made her decision to give the
other players a chance, it posed a great challenge for this team," says
Smith, who is set to return each of his current top eight golfers for
2000-2001. "We still knew who our top few golfers would be but had a lot of
questions after that. It opened the door for a lot of players but it took a
while to sort through it all."
With a shortage of veteran talent, the Irish turned to junior Shane
Smith as the team's acting captain and the St. Petersburg, Fla., native
responded with a solid 1999 fall season that puts her on pace to challenge
the Notre Dame season stroke average record.
Smith factored into the four-player team score in all nine of her
tournament rounds while pacing the Irish with a 79.00 average, a
half-stroke better than the record of 79.50 set by Katie King in 1997-98
(79.50).
"Shane worked through some swing problems and had great improvement
over the summer," says Smith of his acting team captain, who transferred
from SMU prior to her sophomore season. "Shane won the fall campus
championship and has gone on to be a great stabilizing force. She was a
natural pick to be our interim captain because of the type of person she is
and her work ethic. We're really looking forward to her senior year,
because she has the ability to vie for a spot in the NCAA tournament."
Klein counted to the team score in six of her seven rounds while
posting an 81.43 fall average, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the
Butler Invitational after rounds of 72-78 for an eight-over 150. The native
of nearby Kokomo, Ind., heads into the spring with an 82.23 career average,
trailing only King's 82.10 in the Irish record book.
"Mary has the talent to be a great player and her consistency and
leadership will be important in the spring," says Smith. "Mary still is
looking for better ball-striking, but when she puts it all together she can
make a run at par. We're excited to have Mary and Shane be our senior
leaders next year and they could finish with great careers before it's all
said and done."
The absence of Klee and Cooper opened up tournament playing
opportunities for several veterans and most of the newcomers. Most notably,
sophomore Kristin McMurtrie and freshman Priscilla Ro firmly established
themselves as members of the starting six while juniors Becca Schloss and
Danielle Villarosa made steady contributions.
McMurtrie showed amazing consistency throughout the fall, when she
counted to the team score in all 10 of her rounds, averaged 81.00 strokes
and shot between 79 and 82 during every round.
Ro's surprising fall included an 82.70 average and eight rounds
counted to the team score. She led the Irish at the Michigan Invitational
with rounds of 80-81-good for a share of 10th place and onw of the best
showings by a Notre Dame golfer during the fall season.
Villarosa and Schloss each showed glimpses of their value to the
squad. Villarosa posted a career-best 249 at the season-opening Lady
Northern Invitational (held at the University of Wisconsin) while Schloss
chipped in with her best outing of the season, after shooting rounds of 83
and 79 at the Butler Invitational.
Sophomore Lauren Fuchs and freshmen Terry Taibl both showed promise
during tournament play, with the deep Irish roster also including senior
Brigid Fisher, sophomores Jennifer Lynch and Sara Rabe and promising
freshman Shelby Strong.
"Despite some setbacks, there were some high points this fall,"
says Smith. "We put a lot of players in a competitive setting while
veterans like Shane and Mary had the challenge of being team leaders as
juniors. We also are encouraged by our strong effort in the final
tournament. The players found their comfort level and started to believe in
themselves, and we hope to carry on that level of play in the spring."
The members of the Irish women's golf program also are among many
in the campus community who eagerly await the spring of 2000 opening of the
Warren Golf Course, a championship-caliber facility located near the
northeast corner of the Notre Dame campus.
"The new course already has made a big difference for the golf
program," says Smith, whose new office is located next to the two-sided
driving range and practice greens. "Visitors to the course are amazed at
the accessibility and location. It will be a great convenience for the
players and will prepare them for the challenges that they face at the
various tournaments. We are very excited for the future of this program and
the Warren Golf Course will be a big part of that."
