Isabella DiLisio has played a lot of golf for the Irish.
Throughout her first three years, the current senior golfer has competed in every event Notre Dame has taken part in. When DiLisio played earlier this week at the Minnesota Invitational, it was her 31st time teeing off in an event for the Irish.
Notre Dame head coach Susan Holt has been proud of the production DiLisio has put forward over the course of those 31 competitions.
“She came in her freshman year and played really well for us,” Holt said. “She’s very talented, very capable.”
Including the Minnesota Invitational results from this week, DiLisio has tallied 26 career rounds at or under par. Nine of those came last season, when she finished five rounds at par and four rounds under. Of the rounds under par, three of them had a stroke count of under 70.
Holt cited DiLisio’s power and range as two of her biggest advantages as a player, and she hopes to see DiLisio continue improving on shots from areas closer to the pin.
“She hits the ball a long way, which is a great asset to have in the game,” she said. “I think, for her, it’s just managing that ... length that she has a little bit better so that she can take advantage of it more in the future. We’re just trying to really work on her short game and get that better [in order to] give her more opportunities to score.”
DiLisio has demonstrated a variety of skills off the golf course as well. A business analytics major, the senior has earned the Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars award in each of the previous three years. Holt also praised what she described as DiLisio’s strong work ethic and team-oriented attitude.
“She comes in every day and she does her work,” she said. “She’s been a really good teammate in her time here. She’s very well-respected by her teammates. They go to her and confide in her a lot about all kinds of things. From that standpoint, she’s been a really solid teammate over the years.”
Holt says she’s personally enjoyed working with DiLisio as a mentor.
“She’s very coachable, easy to be with and around for our player-coach relationship,” she said. “She’s been really good in that regard as well.”
At the Minnesota Invitational earlier this week, DiLisio shot 225 over the course of three rounds. Her stroke-count of 71 in the first round came in at 1-under par. DiLisio has already been showing promise this year, Holt says, and she’ll continue to work on refining her game as the fall season begins to pick up.
“We’re just trying to put some practice plans together for her,” she said. “We’re getting ready for our next tournament, so we’ll look at that information and give her some things to key on for the next couple of weeks in preparation for that event.”
Holt says she knows that DiLisio has the talent and skills to succeed this season. But she believes that for DiLisio, the mental aspect of the game will prove just as important as the physical.
“It’s just confidence,” Holt said. “Anybody who knows this game knows that confidence is key.”
