WATERSOUND, Fla. – The Notre Dame men’s golf team wrapped its first tournament of the 2021 season on Tuesday, finishing in sixth place at the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational. The Irish fired off the third-best score of the day, a 279 (-9), to total a 867 (+3).
A bright spot for the tournament is the fact the Irish were led by freshman newcomer Tucker Clark. The Arizona native notched his first career top-20 finish with a 217 (+1). His three rounds comprised of a 74-70-73.
In addition, Andrew O’Leary (218, +2) and Palmer Jackson (219, +3) followed right behind with top-25 finishes.
“It’s been 10 months since we’ve last played as a team and I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed competing with this great group of young men. The desire and passion they bring everyday is special,” Notre Dame head coach John Handrigan said. “I’m thankful to our athletic director Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame, and the ACC for providing us with the opportunity to play the sport we love, safely during these difficult times.”
FINAL ROUND
Notre Dame displayed vast improvement for the final day, besting its previous round by 18 strokes.
Davis Chatfield was a true beacon on Tuesday, posting an impressive 67, five-under-par round. Chatfield maintained a clean sheet, with three birdies on the front and two on the back.
Teammate Andrew O’Leary also saved his best round for last, entering the clubhouse with a 69, three-under par. O’Leary recorded a clean-sheet front nine, then caught fire on holes 11-13 where he tallied three birdies in a row.
Taichi Kho was the third and final Irish to shoot under-par on Tuesday. Kho went bogey-free over the first 14 holes and finished with a 70, two-under par. Both Kho and Chatfield finished in 34th with a 221 (+5).
Clark posted an up-and-down final round, as his three front-nine birdies were nullified by three bogies. He ultimately posted a 73 (+1).
“We had an exceptional final round today to build some nice momentum into our next event this weekend in Jacksonville. We have an elite team so watch out for Notre Dame golf this spring,” Handrigan added.
Lastly, individual competitor Angelo Marcon finished in 50th with a 227 (+11)
Up next, Notre Dame heads to Jacksonville, Florida, for the Timaquana Collegiate, hosted by the University of North Florida.
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