STATESBORO, Ga. – In its eighth appearance at The Schenkel, the Notre Dame men’s golf team earned its best finish, placing third with a 861 (-3). The Fighting Irish improved their team score by one stroke each day, capping the tournament with a 286 (-2) on Sunday.
“It was a special week for our program beginning with attending a PGA Tour event (Arnold Palmer Invitational) then playing Isleworth, Lake Nona, and Ohoopee Match Club. We were well prepared and it showed in our strong performance,” Notre Dame head coach John Handrigan said.
Davis Lamb highlighted the final round with a 68 (-4), leaping 15 places on the leaderboard to tie for 13th at 215 (-1). However, it was Miguel Delgado and Andrew O’Leary who led the Irish all weekend and each notched top 10 finishes. Delgado recorded the best Irish individual finish ever at The Schenkel with a tie for fifth place following a final round score of 2-under-par, posting a weekend total of 212 (-4). O’Leary followed right in a tie for seventh, carding a 213 (-3), which included a final round of 73.
“It’s very promising for our program to have another freshman in Andrew O’Leary having a successful tournament and earning a top 10 finish. Andrew has a very strong mindset which will lead this team to a new level,” Coach Handrigan explained. “Miguel is a team captain and this week he also lead with his performance and a top 5 finish. It’s nice to see him get rewarded for his hard work. David Lamb is always dependable in our lineup and definitely no surprise to see him come through in the clutch with an impressive final round 68.”
Taichi Kho tied for 56th place with a 226, (+10), while Ben Albin checked in with a tie for 63rd place with a 227, (+11). Kevin Conners turned in a share of 78th place with a 234 (+18), playing as an individual.
Round Three
Delgado played a bogey-free side in his opening nine holes, rolling in a birdie at the par-3 sixth hole and the par-5 ninth hole to make the turn with a 34 (-2). A birdie at the par-4 14th pushed him to 3-under on the day before back-to-back bogies at 16 and 17 nipped the momentum. A birdie at the par-5 18th righted the ship and brought Delgado in with a 2-under-par round of 70.
After four straight pars out of the gate, Lamb birdied the fifth through seventh holes to vault to 3-under on his round. A double bogey at the par-5 ninth hole stalled Lamb’s surge, but still carded a front-nine 35 (-1). Birdies at the par-4 11th, par-4 14th and par-5 18th holes set the pace for a back-nine 33 (-3) and the best Notre Dame round of the weekend at 68.
O’Leary countered four bogeys in his final round with birdies at the par-5 ninth, par-4 14th and par-4 16th holes as part of his final round 73. O’Leary ultimately finished tied for fourth in the field with 13 total birdies during the event.
Up Next
Notre Dame returns to action at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, hosted by North Carolina, on March 23-24 at the UNC Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
“It’s a short week for us as we leave again Thursday for North Carolina but I know we are anxious to get back into competition and improve on our success from this week,” Handrigan concluded.