After an eighth-place finish at the LSU Tiger Classic, Notre Dame looks to rebound over Easter weekend at the Bryan National Collegiate in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Irish head coach Susan Holt said the team did not adjust well to the conditions in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but also gained valuable experience through the struggles.
“We really weren’t pleased with our results at LSU,” Holt said. “We should have played better; we’re a better team. We have good players, and we just didn’t get it done. We shouldn’t have finished any worse than fifth, which is where we were after the second day. Day two was a great round of golf, but the wind wasn’t blowing. We managed it really well. But it really blew in round one, and it really blew in round three, and that took its toll on us. We just didn’t manage it very well.
“We had a few kids lose their composure a little bit, which is going to stick with you for a few more holes than it should, and you make some more bogeys than you should, and the conditions were so difficult that it was really hard to make birdies."
However, Holt said she was confident the team would move on and learn from its mistakes this weekend and beyond.
“We’ve talked about it, and the girls know it,” Holt said. “I hope they all learned from it. I think they did, because moving forward we just have to respond better to conditions and situations like that, and I’m pretty confident that they will.”
As for the Bryan National Collegiate, Holt said she was excited for the program’s return to the event after a five-year absence. The tournament gives the team a chance to adjust to a new type of grass and scout some ACC foes before the conference championship, she said.
“We played in [Bryan National Collegiate] I believe five years ago, and we did not play well,” Holt said. “It’s a very challenging golf course, very difficult. We were fortunate enough that Wake Forest extended us an invitation, and actually that pretty much coincided with us getting into the ACC last year, which we’re very appreciative of them for including us in the field, and for our program it’s going to be really good for us to go down there and play in Greensboro a week and a half before the ACC tournament because it’s going to be the same kind of grass. They have different grass down there, and the greens are different, so I think it’s great.
“It’s going to be really good preparation for ACC. It’s a really good field, and we’ll have a great opportunity. If we show up and play the way we’re capable of, I think we’ll be very competitive.”
The program is ready to take the next step into becoming a top-25 team, Holt said, and she believes they have the talent to be one.
“[This tournament] really works well with our schedule for finishing up the end of the regular season and getting ready for the NCAA tournament,” Holt said. “I think it’s great whenever you can put yourself against top-25 competition because that’s who we want to be, and if we can put ourselves in those positions and we compete as a team, we’re going to be able to get there.”
Notre Dame travels to Greensboro for the Bryan National Collegiate this weekend. Play is scheduled to begin Friday and continue through Sunday.
