AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team beat out three top-15 nationally ranked teams, including two in the top-six, to claim third place in a loaded 15-team field at the Augusta Haskins Award Invite on Sunday. The Fighting Irish shot an 845 (-19) to make the podium, besting No. 5 Illinois by four strokes.
Notre Dame has improved its team score now in every tournament this spring, besting its 12-under from the Spartan Collegiate. In fact, the 19-under par tied the fifth-best 54-hole score in program history, as Handrigan-led squads now own all but one of the five lowest team tournament scores in Irish history.
Individually, Palmer Jackson led the way with his third career top-five finish. The sophomore tallied a nine-under-par, good for fifth place, marking his second-lowest score of his Notre Dame career – second to his 16-under par that won him the individual title at the 2019 Quail Valley Collegiate.
Freshman Tucker Clark continued to shine, coming in a season-best 12th place with a season-low 211 (-5). Senior Davis Chatfield also notched a top-20 finish with an 18th place showing after carding a 213 (-3). It marked the first tournament finishing under par for Clark and the second this season for Chatfield.
"Elite teams embrace the highest levels of competition and shine in those moments, and that’s the Notre Dame golf culture. The number of clutch shots that we hit this week was impressive, which shows we have the mindset to compete at the highest level," Notre Dame Head Coach John Handrigan stated.
ROUND THREE
Notre Dame shot a 285 (-3) over Sunday’s final round. Both Jackson and Clark finished under par in round three, scoring a 69 (-3) and 70 (-2), respectively. Jackson finished strong, recording three birdies over the last four holes.
Both Chatfield and Taichi Kho tallied a 73 (+1), as the latter’s final round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-five 11th. Kho finished in 35th place with a 217 (+1). Lastly, Andrew O’Leary shot a 75 (+3) to finish in 50th place with a 222 (+6).
"The part of the week that excites me the most is this team is not happy with a third-place finish. The only thing I heard after the tournament was ways that we can continue to improve. With that attitude and determination, we will do just that - continue to get better," Handrigan added.
Up next, the Irish immediately return to action on April 9, traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina, for an event hosted by N.C. State.
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