After a two-week hiatus, the Irish placed fifth overall at the Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.
Inconsistent play during the final day of the Clover Cup erased a promising two-day total that gave the Irish the opportunity to finish within the top-three. At the end of day one of the three-day tournament, the Irish shot an 8-over 296, which put them in fifth in the event’s standings. By the end of day two, the Irish managed to gain some momentum, shooting a team total of a 2-over 290 for a two-day total of 10-over 586, which tied them with Kentucky for fourth and just seven strokes out of third place. Irish head coach Susan Holt said she believes the difference between the two rounds was her team’s ability to avoid crooked numbers on the scorecard.
“The second day, we managed our games better and, because of that, were able to play more consistent,” Holt said. “We avoided big numbers, which allowed us to score better.”
The low team total was short lived for the Irish, however, as the team would eventually fall back a spot in the standings to fifth after shooting a 14-over 302 in the final round. Despite a top-five finish in a competitive tournament field, which included the reigning national champs in Arizona State, Holt insisted her team could have done better overall.
“We had a great opportunity to move up in the standings the final day but just did not play as well as we are capable of as a unit,” she said. “It comes down to executing the shots when needed, and we just did not get the job done. We should have finished third based on the rankings and certainly could have done that had we all been on top of our games.”
Top performers for the Irish included the junior duo of Emma Albrecht and Maddie Rose Hamilton, who both tied for ninth place on the individual leaderboard with a pair of 3-over 219s. Holt said she was proud of the top-10 finish by two of her upperclassmen.
“Emma and Maddie once again put up strong performances,” Holt said. “They have been solid, steady performers for us all year and have really helped to drive the success of the team. They both put a lot of effort into their games, and it shows in competition with how they consistently perform.”
Additional performers for the Irish included freshman Abby Heck and junior Isabella DiLisio, who finished tied for 29th and 42nd place, respectively. Heck’s three-day total was a 9-over 225, as she carded a 3-over 75 all three rounds. DiLisio’s three-day total was a 13-over 229. Sophomore Mia Ayer finished the tournament just behind her at 14-over 230, which tied her for 44th. Rounding out the Irish squad was senior Alison Snakard, who finished 31-over-par and in tie for 76th place.
The Irish will wrap up regular-season competition in three weeks when they travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to compete in the Bryan National Collegiate Invitational, starting April 6.
