The No. 19 Irish concluded their fall season by finishing 17th overall at the Landfall Tradition, which featured a tough field comprised of seven other teams ranked in the NCAA the top-25, according to Golfstat.com.
The 17th place finish is the lowest ranking for the Irish throughout their four-tournament fall season, that saw them place in the top-10 three times, including a tournament championship at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. Irish head coach Susan Holt, who had praised her team performance throughout the fall season, was disappointed in its final performance.
“Certainly not the performance we are looking for,” Holt said. “[It’s] disappointing to finish such a great fall season the way we did. It’s golf and we just didn’t have our best when we needed it. This was a national championship-type field with so many top-20 teams playing.”
Heavy rain overnight Saturday and into the morning Sunday made the course unplayable, and round three was cancelled as a result. In the shortened two-round tournament, the Irish shot a 301 in the first round and 315 in the second round for a total a 40-over-par 616. No. 4 Duke took home the tournament title. The Irish will compete against the Blue Devils again in the spring season at the ACC championships.
The top finisher for the Irish was junior Maddie Rose Hamilton, who finished the tournament tied for 39th overall, shooting a two-round score of 76 and 73 for a total of 149. Holt was please was Hamilton’s performance, overall.
“Maddie played very solid this event and had a great overall fall season,” Hamilton said. “She has put a lot of time into her game and glad to see it show during competition.”
Other finishers for the Irish included junior Isabella DiLisio and sophomore Mia Ayer, who finished 65th and 86th respectively. DiLisio’s two-day total was 74-78 for 152 (+8), and Ayer’s two-day total was 74-84 for 158 (+14). Junior Emma Albrecht finished the tournament 77-82 for a total of 159 (+15), which tied her for 89th overall. Rounding out the top five for the Irish was freshman Abby Heck, who carded a 79-82 for 161 (+17), which left her tied her for 93rd overall.
Reminiscing on the fall season Holt is very pleased with her team’s turnaround from last season. Holt’s frequent request for consistency last season was demonstrated throughout the fall season, and despite a poor finish in their final tournament, Holt is looking forward to the team resuming play in February.
“We had a great fall season. [Out] of the 11 rounds, [we] played nine of them were really great,” Holt said. “This team has a lot to be proud of after the fall and will be ready to compete in the spring. We have positioned ourselves well in the rankings and can really make a charge in the spring. The depth we have one through five will serve us well.”
