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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Observer

Irish nab two top-four finishes over fall break

The Irish continued their success over fall break at the Autotrader Classic, hosted by Georgia Southern at The Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Georgia.

Irish junior Miguel Delgado follows through on an iron during the Fighting Irish Classic on Oct. 8 at Warren Golf Course.
Irish junior Miguel Delgado follows through on an iron during the Fighting Irish Classic on Oct. 8 at Warren Golf Course.
Irish junior Miguel Delgado follows through on an iron during the Fighting Irish Classic on Oct. 8 at Warren Golf Course.

The first round proved tough for the Irish. Despite junior Miguel Delgado’s three-under round, the majority of the team finished over par, leaving the Irish at 9-over and toward the bottom of the leaderboard. Nevertheless, the Irish showed resolve in the following two rounds, slowly climbing the rankings despite a major first round setback. Junior Kevin Conners, especially, bounced back from his first round 83, carding a 2-under 70 in the second round. Junior Ben Albin also came to play in round two, carding an even-par 72 which included an eagle on the par-five third hole, while Delgado continued to master the course at Berkeley Hills, shooting a 2-under 70. The second round bounceback left the Irish at 6-over-par as they climbed five spots in the rankings to third place. Thanks in large part to Delgado’s success, the team managed to maintain its third place spot by the end of the final round, as the junior carded another 2-under 70, leaving him in second place on the individual leaderboard. With Deglado’s 15 total birdies, the Irish managed to tally a third-place finish in a competitive field despite early obstacles.

With fall break coming to a close, the Irish headed to Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida, for the Quail Valley Intercollegiate to wrap up their fall season. The team got off to a hot start, carding an 11-under par 277 in the opening round, leaving the Irish in first place at the culmination of the first round. Conners shot a career low 6-under par 66 which included nine birdies, and Delgado stayed hot with a 4-under 68 in the same round. The Irish took their momentum into round two, recording a total score of 7-under par moving them to 18-under for the tournament, which left them in second place at the close of day one. The round was highlighted by Conners’ 68 and Deglado’s 69 along with even-par finishes for Albin and freshman Davis Chatfield. The Irish would go on to finish 22-under par, which marked the team’s lowest total in over 10 years. Delgado and Conners finished in eighth and ninth place, respectively, on the individual leaderboard thanks to their consistency throughout the tournament. The team finished the tournament tied for fourth place with Maryland, finishing behind South Florida, Michigan State and Louisville.

The Irish will get a break as play suspends until Feb. 11, when the team will head to Palm City, Florida, for the Martin Downs Collegiate to begin the spring season.