Notre Dame men's golf teed off their season at the Folds of Honor Collegiate invitational, hosted by Michigan State, on Monday. The Irish men traveled up to Grand Haven, Michigan to hit the links at American Dunes Golf Club. The Irish looked to start off their season hot and return to championship-level form.
At the end of the first day, The Irish sat in fifth place at +3, only five strokes behind South Carolina at -2. Leading the pack for the Irish was the senior from San Francisco, Angelo Marcon. He finished the day tied for fifth at -2. Close behind him was Nate Stevens (Northfield, MN) who finished the day tied for ninth at -1. Two freshmen who made the five-man roster, Jacob Modleski (Noblesville, IN) and Rocco Salvitti (Canonsburg, PA) both finished the day tied for 44th at +3.
Graduate Palmer Jackson (Murrysville, PA) rounded out the group tied for 63rd at +5.
On the second day (September 5), the Irish stayed consistent shooting a round of 291 as a team, putting Notre Dame at +7 for the day. On the leaderboard after the second round, Marcon jumped to eighth, while Modleski and Stevens were tied at 17th. Palmer Jackson was able to climb up three rankings to finish at 41st and Rocco Salvitti dropped to 35th but still remained a stroke above Johnson. On the second day, four out of five Irish participants climbed up the leaderboard. This allowed the Irish, as a team, to pass South Carolina and finish the day at the number four spot. The second day was a success for the Irish as they looked to rally for the final round in Grand Haven.
The Irish did exactly that, rallying and finishing in first place. The Irish climbed four spots in one day. All five players played an exceptional round of golf on Wednesday. The team was led by Angelo Marcon, who finished the tournament tied for second at even par. It was a truly exceptional final day performance from Marcon as he jumped 16 spots on the leaderboard. Jacob Modleski finished tied for 16th, shooting +4 during the three-day period. He capped off his last hole with an eagle. Rocco Salvitti was right behind Modleski at +5. Salvitti earned himself a 24th-place finish overall. Palmer Jackson and Nate Stevens rounded out the Irish scores, both shot +6 and finished in 30th.
The performance by the Irish on the last day was nothing short of exceptional. The Irish shot -2 for the day and were the only team to finish the third day under par. This stellar showing in the first event of the season gives this men’s golf team high hopes. They have three freshmen, two of whom were on the five-man roster for this outing. It is early in the season, so it is tough to predict whether the men's team will find success down the road. But the freshmen have nowhere to go but up as they are exposed to more collegiate events. One thing is certain, Coach Handrigan and his players will be happy and hungry for more as the Irish are victorious.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Palmer Jackson's name as Palmer Johnson. The Observer sincerely regrets this error.
