With two rounds of play under their belts and one still left to play, the Irish currently sit in seventh place in the Schooner Fall Classic at seven-over par, due in part to a record-breaking team performance Sunday.
Notre Dame teed off its first round Saturday morning, and after 18 holes the team held a share of seventh place with a 10-over-par 290.
Senior Kelli Oride set the pace on day one with a one-under-par 69, tallying four birdies and tying for fifth place to end the day.
Freshman Kari Bellville followed closely behind, notching a one-over par 71 in her second collegiate tournament to tie for 22nd.
“It’s so important having different people step up every day and having a good team effort all around,” Irish coach Susan Holt said.
The Irish continued this trend Sunday, led by junior Talia Campbell, when they posted the lowest single-round team score in the program’s 27-year existence with a three-under-par 277.
Individually, Campbell shot a four-under-par 66 for the day, claiming a share of lowest single-round individual score in Notre Dame history and beating her first-round score by eight strokes.
“Talia is playing really solid golf,” Holt said. “She’s been so consistent with her ball-striking and has given herself lots of opportunities to make birdies.”
Oride, who played well again and was on pace to match her score from Saturday, bogeyed her last two holes and finished the day with a 71. Campbell and Oride are currently tied for 11th place at even par out of 91 golfers.
Senior captain Ashley Armstrong bounced back from a 78 over her first 18 holes and posted a one-under-par 69 on Sunday, while Bellville showed off her consistency with another 71 on Sunday.
Even with the historic scores, Holt said she and the team both know they could have performed even better and can cut down on mistakes, which gives her optimism heading into the final day.
“When you play really well and know you could have played even better, that’s a good place to be,” she said.
With the combined performances, the Irish held onto their seventh-place spot, just one stroke behind California and SMU and four strokes ahead of eighth-place LSU. Mississippi State sits atop the leader board and holds a sizable 11-stroke lead over second-place Kent State – however, just a six-stroke range separates second through seventh place in the standings.
“We’ll be in a good place to make up some ground tomorrow,” Holt said. “It should be good conditions, and we just need to go in with the mindset to make birdies because we know that’s what the other programs will be doing.”
The Irish will play the final round of the Schooner Fall Classic on Monday, starting at 9:30 a.m.
