Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 2, 2021 49 ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE N otre Dame junior Palmer Jackson used some interesting criteria when choosing to play golf at Notre Dame in the wildly seasonal Midwest instead of Duke in the Southeast or Stanford on the moderate West Coast. "Obviously there are extra challenges competing for Notre Dame, particularly with the weather and the high academic load, and that takes away time from practice," Jackson said. "But with that being said, since it is so difficult at times, you find a way to get better at everything, and I think some of the adversity that you face at Notre Dame actually is going to lead you to success down the road, whether you see it in the moment or not." Jackson played 21 rounds for Notre Dame as a sophomore during the 2021 spring season, finishing with a 1-under- par composite score. He was 12th (best among Irish competitors) at the NCAA Stillwater Regional in his first postsea- son appearance last May. A quick study and an unflappable player, Jackson made an immediate im- pact as an Irish freshman in 2019-20 with an individual title at the Quail Val- ley Intercollegiate with a 16-under 200, a Notre Dame program record for a 54- hole tournament. Jackson's 71.25 career stroke average per round also ranks as the lowest in program history. Always one to keep a busy and com- petitive summer schedule, Jackson fin- ished third with an even-par 280 at the Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational in Pitts- burgh in July, three shots behind win- ner Chase Koepka, brother of four-time PGA major champion Brooks Koepka. Jackson shot a 2-under 68 to move up seven spots on the leaderboard in the fi- nal round of the tournament to earn low amateur honors at a professional event with a strong regional field. "To be in contention there, in a pro event, was a new experience for me," Jackson said afterward. Putting his career on the fast track, Jackson was barely two months out of Franklin Regional High School near Pitts- burgh — and not too far removed from an in- dividual Pennsylvania Class 3 state champi- onship — when he ad- vanced to the quarterfi- nal round of match play at the 2019 U.S. Ama- teur at Pinehurst before losing, 3 and 2, to eventual tournament runner-up John Augenstein. Jackson's quarterfinals appearance matched the best run in the U.S. Ama- teur by a Notre Dame golfer since Tom Veech reached the quarters in 1950. Jackson has qualified for and played in the last four U.S. Amateurs — 2018 at Pebble Beach (Calif.), 2019 at Pine- hurst (N.C.), 2020 at Brandon Dunes (Ore.) and this past August at Oakmont Country Club in Verona, Pa., only about a 20-minute drive from where he grew up in Murrysville, Pa. Jackson was thrilled to compete so close to his hometown, but inaccuracy off the tee on an unforgiving course left the No. 116-ranked amateur with a pair of 76s, which wasn't good enough to advance to match play. "To contend here, you have to do ev- erything well," Jackson said of missing the cut on a course he's played often and knows well. "I didn't do anything up to my standards, and it is disappointing." Even through the disappointment, Jackson was already looking forward to the next marquee event at Oakmont. "Hopefully, I can play in the [2025] U.S. Open here," he said. Back at Notre Dame this fall and with a busy summer schedule behind, Jack- son's training still never slows down, even during the winter months. Jackson — a National Honor Society member in high school and a 2020-21 All-ACC Academic Team selection as a college sophomore last year — is major- ing in business analytics, but he stressed that those career pursuits must wait until after his professional golf career ends. "I'm trying to become as well- rounded as I can [at Notre Dame]," he said, "so that through my experiences in golf, I will open more doors for myself." Irish head coach John Handrigan said that Jackson's commitment to excel- lence and improvement in golf, school and life sets a great example for his younger players. "Palmer shows a lot of desire and passion to be the best in both golf and academics," Handrigan said. "He rep- resents our program phenomenally ev- erywhere he goes." ✦ Irish Golfer Palmer Jackson Chasing Big Dreams Jackson, a junior, has qualified for and played in the last four U.S. Amateur championships. This past summer, he finished third and earned low amateur honors at a professional event in his hometown of Pittsburgh. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS IRISH ROUNDUP CROSS COUNTRY Both the Irish men and women took first place in the National Catholic Championship Sept. 17 in South Bend. WOMEN'S GOLF Notre Dame shot a 13-over-par 877 to claim second place at the Badger Invitational Sept. 19-21 in Verona, Wis. MEN'S SOCCER (3-3-1 OVERALL, 1-0-1 ACC) The Irish edged NC State 1-0 at home Sept. 17 and then notched a 3-1 victory at Michigan Sept. 21. WOMEN'S SOCCER (8-1-1 OVERALL, 2-0-0 ACC) Notre Dame captured its ACC opener, blanking Syracuse 4-0 in South Bend Sept. 18 … The Irish then traveled to Miami Sept. 23 and notched a 5-0 victory. VOLLEYBALL (3-7 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) The Irish battled No. 3 Ohio State tough Sept. 17 and 19 in Columbus, Ohio, but fell 3-0 and 3-2. — Steve Downey