This past Sunday and Monday, the Notre Dame women’s golf team competed at the Spartan Suncoast Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, at the Palm Aire Country Club Champions Course, finishing with a three-round score of 882 (+18) on the day en route to a 12th-place finish. The tournament was won by its host, Michigan State, whose 860 points (-4) were tied for first with Ohio State by the end of the final day. The Spartans won the tournament on a tiebreaker. Oklahoma (-3), the College of Charleston (+1) and Michigan (+5) trailed just behind.
The team is led by head coach Caroline Powers Ellis. The Irish’s 12th-place finish placed them ahead of Purdue (+18), Grand Valley State (+39) and Florida International (+42).
Notre Dame’s performance was largely inspired by senior Montgomery Ferreira. Ferreira’s 13th-place result on the individual leaderboard led all Irish golfers. The Tacoma, Washington, native who has been a mainstay in Notre Dame’s top five throughout her four years shot 216 (E) over the course of three rounds.
Ferreira was one of only 13 golfers to record an eagle. Another one of those 13 was Notre Dame freshman Bridget Wilkie.
Wilkie supplemented Ferreira’s overall effort with a score of 222 (+6), placing her T37th. Wilkie’s score was tied by four golfers, including classmate Maddy Bante. Bante led the Irish charge in the second round with a score of 72 (E).
Notre Dame’s final two golfers, sophomore Alex Lapple and freshman Faustine Errecade, shot 227 (+11) and 231 (+15) respectively. Lapple’s 41 pars placed her tied for second individually, trailing only Illinois’ Victoria Zheng.
As a collective, the Irish finished with a total of 179 pars, effectively placing them in third place for the category and just two away from tying second place. However, their 28 birdies throughout the tournament placed them second to last.
What’s next
After a 10th-place finish in Boca Raton, Florida, at the FAU Paradise Invitational and their recent 12th-place result in Sarasota, the Irish will head west for the Notre Dame Clover Cup in Phoenix, Arizona, from March 10-12. The Clover Cup is a tournament Notre Dame hosts at the Wigwam Golf Club during the spring break period. The tournament is typically hosted annually dating back to 2012, however it was not played last season.
From there, the Irish will finish off their regular season in Kennesaw, Georgia, at the Pinetree CC Women’s Collegiate and College Park, Maryland, at the Maryland Terps Invitational prior to the ACC Championships from April 16-19. NCAA postseason play begins May 5 and concludes with the Championships in Carlsbad, California, from May 17-22.
