Notre Dame men’s golf has had an electric start to the fall season with multiple high finishes, including a team victory at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational. Recently, the team had an opportunity to compete on its home course. The Irish welcomed teams to Warren Golf Course, where they hosted the annual Fighting Irish Classic from Oct. 6 to 7. With a score of 844 through three rounds, Notre Dame was just four strokes over par and finished third overall in the event.
Junior Jacob Modleski led the team, carding a 208. Modleski started the event hot, shooting three under par and tying the best round of the tournament for the Irish with a 67. He was phenomenal in the front nine of this round, with four birdies and five pars. He continued this success in round two as he did not shoot above par on a single hole for the round. Two birdies helped him card a 68 and finish the day two under par. In the final round, he would shoot a 73, bringing him to two under par for the event. His performance netted him the eighth-best individual score of the Classic.
The second-best score for the Irish belonged to senior Nate Stevens. With 10 birdies over the three rounds, Stevens was able to finish just one over par and card a total of 211. Stevens finished tied for 12th on the individual leaderboards. His best round was his second, where he shot a 69.
The next lowest score came from fellow senior Calen Sanderson. In the first round, Sanderson tied Modleski’s low score of 67. Throughout the three rounds, he would accumulate 213 strokes, which was three over par. In the end, he claimed a spot tied for 21st on the player leaderboards. Right behind Sanderson on the individual leaderboards was his teammate, Rocco Salvitti. The junior finished tied for 23rd in the standings after shooting four over par. He closed the event out strong, leading the team with a 69 in the final round.
Rounding out the Irish lineup was Pavel Tsar. Despite being only a freshman, Tsar has been a key player for Notre Dame, competing in multiple events this season, including the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, where he played a crucial role in the team's victory. In the Classic, he shot a 74 in each of the three rounds, which totaled 12 strokes over par. Tsar tied for 61st in the player leaderboards in the event.
Notre Dame additionally had a B team that competed. This team took 12th place and featured five more Irish golfers. Freshmen Liam Pasternak and Peyton Blackard both competed as part of this team. Pasternak had the lowest score for the B team, claiming a spot at 29th on the player leaderboards. Sophomores Mike Qiu and Lance Hollingshead, along with junior Christopher Bagnall, made up the rest of the lineup.
The Irish have a couple of weeks off before they take to the course for the final time of the fall season. They will next compete in the Williams Cup, hosted by the University of North Carolina from Oct. 19 to 21.
