Last season, then-sophomore Jacob Modleski powered the Notre Dame men’s golf team to postseason success, capturing the individual ACC championship. He was remarkably consistent throughout the season, notching a program-record 68.5 stroke average, and capping his incredible second campaign with a 22nd overall finish at the NCAA championship.
While Modleski may not have captured the ACC title this year, his individual success was bolstered by that of his fellow upperclassmen and teammates. Throughout the season, four Irish juniors and seniors earned top-five finishes, with three of them earning wins. As a team, Notre Dame was consistently solid, finishing in the top 10 at every tournament it competed in.
The season got off to a good start, with the Irish placing second at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Invitational in September with a team score of 853 — just one over par. They were paced by Modleski and senior Calen Sanderson, who respectively finished 1-under and 3-under to tie for second and fifth.
The squad followed up its performance in Michigan the following weekend with its lone team win of the year at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational in MactTier, Canada. The Irish took home the victory with a final score of 829, finishing an astounding 35 under par. They were again led by Modleski and Sanderson, with the latter taking home the individual title at 19-under. Modleski was close behind, finishing tied for fifth at 8-under. Freshman Pavel Tsar also delivered a solid performance, ending with his season-best 13th with a 3-under finish.
The Irish finished out the fall slate with a slew of top-5 finishes. They placed fifth at the Windon Memorial Classic, finishing 17-under as a team, before returning home for the Men’s Fighting Irish Classic and placing third overall at 4-over. They capped off the fall at the Williams Cup in North Carolina, where they took home fifth yet again with a 12-over finish. This time, senior Nate Stevens won the individual title with a score of 7-under across the season. Modleski also continued as the model of consistency for the team, earning top-10 finishes at every tournament through the fall.
The Irish returned in the spring, continuing their steady play, opening the second half of the season at the Gators Invitational in Gainesville, where they earned sixth place overall with a team score of 14-over. The following week, they tied their season-best score, but with a different result.
At the first of four consecutive tournaments in Georgia, Notre Dame traveled to the Johnnie-O at Sea Island, where it finished 35-under for the second time, posting a team score of 829. Unfortunately, that meant a sixth-place spot rather than the win they had with the same score back in September. Individually, Stevens and Modleski both finished in the top 10, with Stevens tying for sixth at 12-under and Modleski close behind in ninth at 11-under.
The following week, the team headed to Statesboro, Ga., for the Schenkel Invitational, where it placed fourth at 15-under. There were yet again several individual standouts for the Irish, with Modleski leading the pack and finishing tied for first at 13-under for his lone win of the season. In addition, fellow junior Rocco Salvitti had his best performance of the regular season, carding an 11-under tournament for fourth. Another freshman also made some noise, as Peyton Blackard finished a season-best 5-under for 14th overall.
The following tournament, the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, saw another solid team performance. However, there were fewer individual standouts than in prior competitions. As a whole, the Irish ended 28-under and tied for fifth among the field. The best individual score for Notre Dame was 6-under, with both Modleski and Salvitti tying for 23rd. Closely trailing them was Stevens, whose 5-under score was good for a tie for 28th.
At the final regular season tournament, the Ford Collegiate, the Irish held their own, finishing a respectable 10-under as a team and seventh in the standings. Stevens ended the competition tied for sixth at 8-under, as Modleski tied for 15th at 4-under.
From there, the Irish had a brief break before they traveled to Panama City, Fla., for the ACC Championship. Their 10th-place finish was their lowest of the season, though their 6-over 870 was not their worst score. The field was loaded with talent, featuring 10 ranked teams, including the Irish. Ultimately, Stanford ran away with the team title with an incredible 20-under — 16 strokes better than Virginia in second place. Individually, Modleski was the highest finisher for the Irish, landing tied for 17th with his 1-under finish.
Now, the Irish will head west to Corvallis, Ore., to the Trysting Tree Golf Club for the NCAA regionals beginning May 18. Among the field of 13 teams, a top-five finish would give them the chance to compete at the NCAA championships for the second time in three seasons. As the No. 6 seed, their chances are as good as anyone's, especially considering their consistency this season.
