Indiana men’s golf finished 10th at the Fighting Irish Classic on Monday and Tuesday in Notre Dame, Indiana.
The field of 16 teams included three programs who were included in the most recent Bushnell/Golfweek D1 Coaches Poll, fourth-ranked Oklahoma State University, 14th-ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and 22nd-ranked UCLA. Indiana received four votes but did not make the top 25.
Redshirt senior Clay Merchent, juniors Alec Cesare, Nick Piesen and Cole Starnes and sophomore Bradley Chill Jr. represented the Hoosiers in Notre Dame.
The first two rounds took place Monday. The Hoosiers ended round one in seventh place, with a 2-over-par score. Merchent and Chill Jr. led the way, providing Indiana with its only sub-par scores of round one, each earning four birdies.
North Carolina dominated round one, finishing 7 under par and 5 strokes ahead of second place Notre Dame and University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Following their 9-over-par second round, the Hoosiers finished day one of the classic in 12th place, 22 strokes behind first. Piesen shot even in round two, which was Indiana’s top score for the round.
North Carolina’s first round lead proved to be unsustainable, as UCLA’s 7-under-par second round thrusted the Bruins into second place, only 3 shots behind North Carolina. At the end of the first day, North Carolina and UCLA had distanced themselves from the rest of the field by 5 strokes.
Day two of the classic was delayed due to inclement weather. The rain-soaked course in Notre Dame proved to be a challenge across the board, with no teams earning a sub-par score in round three.
The Hoosiers handled the conditions better than expected and celebrated Starnes’ birthday with a 12-over-par score, climbing two spots in the final standings by the end of the day. They finished the classic in 10th place, with a 23-over-par total score.
Merchent was Indiana’s top performer, ending the event in 18th place individually, at 2 over par.
North Carolina was unable to hold onto their lead, and shot 7 over par in round three. The Tar Heels ended with a final score of 4 under par, allowing UCLA to win the Fighting Irish Classic. UCLA finished 7 under par, led by sophomore Baylor Larrabee, who shot 4 under par across three rounds. The top two teams were the only ones to finish with sub-par scores.
Indiana will continue their season from Oct. 19-20 at the Quail Valley Collegiate Classic in Vero Beach, Florida.
