After opening the season with a second-place finish in Grand Haven, Michigan, Notre Dame men’s golf held high hopes for the season. Recently, the Irish traveled to Oviinbyrd Golf Club in Foot’s Bay, Ontario, where they not only met but shattered expectations. During the two-day international, Notre Dame dominated, capturing first place and holding a 10-stroke lead over all other teams.
This event marked the second year of the Canadian Collegiate Invitational and the second consecutive year that the Irish team achieved a victory in the tournament. Through three rounds, Notre Dame carded an 829. This performance placed the team 35 under par and ranked as the third-best performance in program history. The team finished with scores of -12, -13 and -10 in each of the three rounds.
Senior Calen Sanderson was the top performer, not only for the Irish but across the entire event. His performance of 19 under par secured him an individual championship at the invitational and wrote his name in the program record books. Sanderson opened the event four under par after round one; his performance only improved throughout the remainder of the event. Through the front nine in round two, he shot a 33, sitting three under par and setting a great pace for the round. The back nine was even more phenomenal as four more birdies allowed him to finish the round carding a total of 65. Seven under par placed Sanderson in elite, tying the program record for lowest score in a round. Despite this impressive performance, simply tying the record was not the end for Sanderson. Round three saw the senior finish at eight under par and cement himself as the sole holder of the record. Ultimately, he finished the event with a total score of 197, securing another record as the first member of the Irish to score below 200 in a three-round event.
In addition to Sanderson, the tournament saw great performances from multiple Irish golfers. Scores of three under and five under in rounds one and two, respectively, helped junior Jacob Modleski end the event tied for fifth place overall. Pavel Tsar, a freshman for the Irish, showcased his potential with two eagles throughout the invitational, including one on the last hole of the third round. Overall, he finished three under par and 13th on the individual leaderboards.
Strong production in rounds one and two would be the catalyst that propelled junior Christopher Bagnall to cap off the event tied for 15th. Meanwhile, shooting five under in round one would be instrumental in senior Nate Stevens claiming tying for the 18th spot. Finally, junior Rocco Salvitti would shoot 11 birdies en route to a tie for 32nd place.
The Irish will have a short rest before their next competition in Lake Forrest, Illinois, from Sept. 29-30, and will host the annual Fighting Irish Classic Oct. 6-7. With the hot start to the season, head coach John Handrigan’s team has hopes not only for the rest of their season but also for a potential postseason run.