CARY, N.C. – The No. 26 Notre Dame men’s golf team was neck-and-neck with No. 9 NC State for two-and-a-half rounds, trailing by just one stroke heading into the final nine holes. That’s when the Wolfpack earned some separation to claim first place with an 813 (-51), as the Fighting Irish took second with an 825 (-39).
The 39-under-par marked a new season low, topping the Augusta Haskins score from last week by a whopping 20 strokes. Furthermore, the 39-under par marked the second-lowest score in program history, as Coach Handrigan’s 2019-20 squad holds the top mark with a 43-under-par at Quail Valley.
Important to note, through five tournaments now, the Irish have improved their tournament score each time. Not only that, it also marked their third consecutive top-three finish.
“This team continues to impress me as we improve every week,” Coach Handrigan stated. “We are playing at a very high level and I’m encouraged since our best golf is yet to come and we’re now entering the postseason. The mental toughness of this team is absolutely awesome and vital for success in this game.”
Individually, freshman Tucker Clark continues to shine, achieving a career-best finish and career-low score for the second consecutive tournament. Clark shot a 65-74-66 to finish in seventh place with a 205 (-11).
All-in-all, all five Irish landed in the top-20 on the leaderboard. Both Palmer Jackson and Davis Chatfield tied for 11th place with a 208 (-8), as the latter achieved both a new season-low score and season-best finish.
In addition, Andrew O’Leary posted a season-low 209 (-7) to finish in 14th. Lastly, Taichi Kho posted a season-best 211 (-5) to land in 17th place.
ROUND THREE
Clark, who tied the program low-round record on Friday with a 65, once again led the Irish on Saturday with a final round 66. Clark totaled six birdies, as his round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-five ninth.
Kho made the biggest leap in the standings on Saturday, climbing seven spots after firing off a 68. Kho was on absolute fire on the front-nine, where he went five-under-par.
Both Jackson and Chatfield carded a final-round 70. Then O’Leary made it a clean sweep of everyone shooting under-par when he finished with a 71.
“Next, we are going to take the day off on Sunday, get our first vaccine, enjoy The Masters and get back to work on Monday to prepare for the ACC Championships,” Handrigan added.
— ND —