Indiana leads Fighting Irish Classic by four strokes; host Notre Dame trails by eight
SOUTH BEND – The Indiana men’s golf team had a four-stroke lead over Tennessee and five-stroke lead over Northwestern following Sunday’s first two rounds of the 54-hole Fighting Irish Classic at Notre Dame’s par-70, 7,023-yard Warren Golf Course.
Coach Mike Mayer’s Hoosiers had three golfers in the Top 10 in senior Drew Salyers, redshirt junior Robert Bender III and freshman Cole Starnes while shooting rounds of one-under 279 in the morning and three-under 277 in the afternoon for a 556 total.
Coach Brennan Webb’s Volunteers had a pair of even-par 280s for second place, one stroke ahead of Northwestern’s 561 (283-278) and three better than coach John Handrigan’s Fighting Irish (281-283).
ND football: Analysis: How Howard Cross III kept Notre Dame football moving forward in comeback at Duke
Northwestern’s Daniel Svard had rounds of three-under 67 and one-under 69 to shoot a four-under 136 which matched the effort of Purdue’s Herman Sekne, who shot 69 and 67. Coach Rob Bradley’s Boilermakers were in solo sixth place with their total of 566 (281-285) which was two strokes behind Notre Dame and one stroke behind fifth-place Iowa State’s 565 (276-289) in the tournament which concludes Monday with 18 holes.
Following Svard and Sekne were Salyers, Georgia Southern’s Luke Koenig and Tennessee’s Caleb Surratt at 137. Salyers’ morning round of six-under 64 was the best of the day (he followed it with an afternoon three-over 73). It was one stroke better than the afternoon 65 fashioned by Bender, who opened with a four-over 74. Starnes was tied for 10th after rounds of 71 and 69 at even-par 140 one stroke ahead of teammate Noah Gillard (71-70), who was tied for 18th.
Freshman Jacob Modleski of Noblesville, who played for Guerin Catholic, led the Fighting Irish with a two-under 138 total after rounds of 68 and 70. Another freshman, Rocco Salvitti of Canonsburg, Pa., had a pair of 70s and was tied for 10th at 140. Graduate Palmer Jackson shot a pair of 71s and was tied for 23rd at 141. Then came sophomore Nate Stevens at 145 (73-72) and senior Angelo Marcon at 146 (72-74).
Following Purdue, in order, were Kansas (569), Iowa (570), Kent State (575), Louisville (576), Rutgers (577), Utah (578), Georgia Southern (579) and Michigan State (582).
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame golf Fighting Irish Classic Day 1
