NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the Notre Dame men’s golf team from making the NCAA postseason a year ago, the long wait and months of hard work finally came to fruition on Wednesday, when the Fighting Irish were announced as part of the field for 2021.
Notre Dame will head to the Stillwater, Oklahoma Regional, where they’ll compete at the Karsten Creek Golf Club. The regional, hosted by Oklahoma State, will take place May 17-19.
It marks Notre Dame’s first NCAA Regional appearance as a team since 2012. In addition, the Irish will be attempting to make their first NCAA Championship round appearance in program history.
“Everything this team has done over the past four years has led to this moment. This past year when Covid hit, we were a top-10 team in the country. It’s definitely come to fruition this year. This year’s team has done everything I’ve asked,” Notre Dame head coach John Handrigan said. “It was a very rewarding feeling today to see Notre Dame pop up on the screen. There’s nothing like going to the NCAA Tournament.”
According to the latest team rankings on Golfstat.com, Notre Dame ranks 31st in the country. In addition, the Domers will be the No. 5 seed in Stillwater.
The Irish have averaged 284.22 strokes per tournament, are 44-under-par overall and have secured three top-three finishes this spring. Individually, they are led by senior captain Davis Chatfield, who averages 71.44 strokes per round. Both Palmer Jackson and Tucker Clark follow close behind with a 71.61 average.
“Was expecting the announcement but the feeling is still awesome,” Chatfield said. “We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the past few years to get to this point. Covid spoiled last year and we bounced back from it. Going to Stillwater will be pretty special.”
Three of the six regional sites will have 13 teams and 10 individuals competing, while three will have 14 teams and five individuals. The top five teams (30 teams total) and the low individual not on an advancing team from each regional site (six individuals total) will advance to the national championships at Grayhawk.
Golf Channel will provide highlights from regional play leading up to coverage of the 2021 championships to be held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds.
The men’s championship will be held May 28-June 2, with GOLF Channel providing live coverage of the final day of individual championship play on May 31 as well as the team match play on June 1-2.
Below, you’ll find the list of the 13 teams traveling to the Stillwater Regional:
Karsten Creek Golf Club – Stillwater, Okla.
Hosted by Oklahoma State
