Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Rising junior Carl Santos-Ocampo, who won the TPA at Windstar event earlier this summer, returns to campus on Tuesday for a U.S. Amateur sectional qualifier at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course.

 
Notre Dame Men's Golf Summer Notebook #1

A look at some news and notes surrounding the Irish men's golf program during the summer of 2008.

July 26, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Although classes won't start up again at Notre Dame for another month, that hasn't stopped members of the Irish men's golf team from keeping their game in top shape during the summer. Notre Dame will have seven of its top nine golfers from 2007-08 coming back to compete in a rugged fall 2008 schedule that includes tournaments at three of California's most legendary courses (The Olympic Club outside of San Francisco, Poppy Hills GC at Pebble Beach, and the Greg Norman Course at PGA WEST in La Quinta), as well as the third edition of the Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic (with an expanded 16-team field).

The complete fall schedule is now available by clicking here -- the spring 2009 docket is awaiting approval by the University's Faculty Board on Athletics and will be unveiled soon. In the meantime, updated player and coach biographical sketches, as well as enhanced historical data and a sneak peek at the 2008-09 Irish, are available in the official Notre Dame media guide, which can be seen in a PDF format, by clicking here.

Here's a look at how some of the current and future Notre Dame golfers have fared on the amateur and junior circuits this summer -- also note that returning senior and 2008 PING All-Midwest Region honoree Josh Sandman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) has not competed this summer while recuperating from an injury he aggravated late last season.

Connor Alan-Lee (So./Solana Beach, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School)
Advanced to 32-man match play tree at California State Amateur Championship in Burbank after tying for 29th in medal play with four-over par 146 (74-72); lost in first round of match play, 4 & 3, to top-seeded Matt Hoffenberg (a rising sophomore at San Diego State) ... tied for 20th during qualifying for Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Amateur at Oceanside (El Camino GC) with four-over 76.

Olavo Batista (Jr./Sao Paulo, Brazil/Chapel)
Tied for 29th (with classmate Carl Santos-Ocampo among others) at Spirit of America Classic in Decatur, Ala. (Burningtree GC) with three-over par 287 (68-74-72-73).

Doug Fortner (Jr./Tustin, Calif./Foothill)
Tied for 12th (one shot out of playoff) with three-over par 73 in U.S. Open local qualifier at Westlake Village, Calif. (North Ranch CC) ... earned spot in SCGA Amateur after tying for seventh in qualifier at Murrieta (The SCGA GC) with one-under 71 ... missed cut at SCGA Amateur in Somis (Saticoy CC) with 11-over 155 (77-78).

Tyler Hock (So./Ocala, Fla./Forest)
Shared medalist honors in on-site qualifier for Southern Amateur in Orlando (Lake Nona G&CC) with four-under par 68 ... was poised to make cut at Southern Amateur before tough inward nine during his second round left him on the outside looking in at 14-over 158 (72-86).

Carl Santos-Ocampo (Jr./Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples)
Tied for 15th (three shots out of playoff) at one-over par 73 in 99-man U.S. Open local qualifier in Orlando (MetroWest GC) ... won Tournament Players Association (TPA) at Windstar in Naples (Windstar GC) by one stroke with four-over 149 (76-72) ... Tied for 11th (and second-lowest amateur) at E-Z-Go South Florida PGA Open in Naples (Fiddler's Creek GC) with two-under 214 (70-75-69) ... Shot two-under 70 to tie for third during qualifying round for Florida State Amateur in Miami Lakes (Don Shula's GC) ... tied for 47th at Florida State Amateur in Tequesta (Jupiter Hills GC) with 23-over 305 (75-76-75-79); recent Notre Dame graduate Eddie Peckels finished two shots back of Santos-Ocampo in a 51st-place tie at 25-over 307 (71-71-89-76) ... tied for 29th place (with classmate Olavo Batista among others) at Spirit of America Classic in Decatur, Ala. (Burningtree GC) with three-over 287 (75-70-70-72) ... tied for 31st at the Eastern Amateur in Portsmouth, Va. (Elizabeth Manor G&CC) with three-under 277 (67-70-71-69) ... earned berth in Southern Amateur after tying for second place in West Palm Beach (Mayacoo Lakes GC) qualifier at even-par 70 ... tied for 24th at Southern Amateur in Orlando (Lake Nona G&CC) with three-under 285 (70-70-75-70).

Max Scodro (Fr./Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame Prep (Ariz.))
Tied for 49th at Western Junior Championship in St. Simons Island, Ga. (Sea Island GC) with 12-over par 292 (73-70-75-74) ... finished fifth at American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Future Legends in Wales, Wis. (The Legend at Brandybrook) with five-over 218 (75-73-70).

Tom Usher (Fr./Baildon, England/Guiseley School)
Has played in five events on the Yorkshire Order of Merit (YOM), which is contested at courses throughout the northern England county of Yorkshire, the largest in Great Britain ... tied for fourth at The Hawksworth Trophy with level-par 144 (72-72) ... placed fourth at The Earl of Dartmouth Trophy with seven-over 151 (76-75) ... negotiated blustery conditions to win The Hornsea Gutty by one shot at five-over 149 (77-72) ... shared 40th place at Yorkshire Amateur Championship with 10-over 154 (74-80) ... recovered brilliantly with runner-up finish at The Bingley St. Ives Salver with five-under 137 (70-67), ending just one shot off the pace ... currently third on the YOM points table with 625 points; led the way before electing to sit out last week's Oakdale Acorn, which was won by new points leader Stephen Brennan (794 points) ... four events remaining on YOM slate.

Chris Walker (Fr./The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands)
Missed cut by one shot at American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rolex Tournament of Champions in Newburgh, Ind. (Victoria National GC) with 12-over par 156 (76-80) ... bounced back extremely well with runner-up finish at AJGA's HP Boys Junior Championship in Orlando, Fla. (Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge) with three-under 285 (72-68-73-72), winding up one shot back after holding 36- and 54-hole leads ... surged to 35th in latest AJGA Polo Golf Rankings.

Dustin Zhang (So./Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Carroll)
Despite tough weather conditions, advanced to 16-man match play tree at Wolverton Alberta Open Championship in Dewinton (Carnmoney GC) after finishing sixth (fourth among amateurs) during medal play at two-over par 146 (73-73) ... fell in first round of Alberta Match Play Championship in Dewinton (Carnmoney GC) on 19th hole to Tim Webb ... tied for 34th at Sun Life Financial Men's Amateur in Calgary (Calgary G&CC) with 19-over par 299 (76-70-80-73).

Several Notre Dame golfers will be back on campus next week to compete in local qualifiers for the Western Amateur Championship (Monday) and a sectional qualifier for U.S. Amateur Championship (Tuesday).

Slated to compete in Monday's Western Am qualifier at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course (and listed in order of start times) are: Walker (7:50 a.m. ET, 1st tee), Scodro (12:30 p.m., 1st tee) and rising junior Kyle Willis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) (1 p.m., 1st tee). Sandman, Santos-Ocampo and Zhang all have earned exemptions into this year's Western Amateur, which gets underway Wednesday with the first of two medal-play rounds at Point O' Woods Golf & Country Club in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Meanwhile, Santos-Ocampo and Scodro will compete in Tuesday's U.S. Amateur sectional at the Warren Golf Course (which is one of only five on-campus college courses to feature a U.S. Am sectional, along with Auburn, Colgate, New Mexico and Penn State). Other Irish golfers scheduled to compete in U.S. Amateur sectionals around the country in the coming days are: rising sophomore Jeff Chen (Walnut, Calif./Los Altos) (Aug. 4 at La Habra Heights, Calif. - Hacienda GC), Hock (Aug. 4-5 at Ocala, Fla. - Golden Hills Golf & Turf Club) and Zhang (Tuesday in University Place, Wash. - Chambers Bay GC).

• • •

Greg Rodgers Named To GCAA Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team
Recent Notre Dame graduate is 20th Irish golfer to make squad, and first since 2002.

Recent Notre Dame graduate Greg Rodgers has been named to the 2008 Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team, it was announced recently by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Greg Rodgers (Phoenix, Md./St. Paul's School), who recently graduated from Notre Dame following a successful four-year run with the Irish men's golf team, has been named to the 2008 Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team, it was announced recently by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Rodgers is the 20th Notre Dame golfer to be tapped for this honor, and the first since Steve Ratay and Chris Whitten were lauded in 2002.

A total of 96 Division I players were named to this year's Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Team. To be eligible, an individual must be a junior or senior academically and compete in at least two full years at the collegiate level, participate in 70 percent of his team's competitive rounds or compete in the NCAA Championships, have a stroke average under 76.0, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.

Rodgers graduated in May from Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters with a bachelor's degree in history. He was a four-time BIG EAST Conference Academic All-Star Team selection and also earned certification from Notre Dame's Rosenthal Student-Athlete Leadership Institute in 2006-07. On the course, Rodgers earned two monograms and posted a 76.36 career stroke average (career-best 75.88 as a senior in 2007-08) in 31 college tournaments, recording six Top 20 finishes, including a career-high seventh-place tie at the 2007 Gopher Invitational. He also was a member of two BIG EAST championship teams and two NCAA regional participating squads (2004-05 and 2005-06) during his time at Notre Dame.

• • •

Notre Dame Men's Golf Team Heads To Ireland In August
Notre Dame will play series of exhibition matches against Irish club teams.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- In preparation for the upcoming 2008-09 season, the Notre Dame men's golf team will head overseas to Ireland Aug. 9-16 for a week-long tour that will include a handful of exhibition matches against local club teams. NCAA rules allow college programs to take one foreign tour every four years, while this will be the first international excursion for Notre Dame since head coach Jim Kubinski arrived on campus in January 2005.

Notre Dame will be permitted to bring its nine returning players on the trip, while the incoming freshmen are not eligible to participate since they have not yet begun classes at the University. Upon arrival in Ireland, Notre Dame will compete daily in informal dual matches against clubs from Ballybunion, Old Head, Waterville and Killarney before a pair of formal competitions to wrap up its tour -- Aug. 14 vs. Tralee and Aug. 15 vs. Lahinch.

The Notre Dame travel party will return to campus on Aug. 16, a little more than one week before classes start back up and just over three weeks prior to the season-opening USF Olympic Club Intercollegiate (Sept. 8-9 at The Olympic Club in suburban San Francisco).

-- ND --