Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 26, 2024 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE A n Irish freshman at the time, Jacob Modleski found himself in a nerve- wracking situation last January. He was clinging to his cell phone, and clinging to hopes that it would ring and bring an invite to play in the 2024 Jones Cup Invitational, one of the premier tour- naments each year on the amateur golf circuit. Modleski showed up for it as an al- ternate at the Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island., Ga. — ranked as only the 404th amateur player in the world — and with no guarantees that he would be invited into an 84-person field, which included 45 players ranked among the world's top 100 amateurs. One surprising 11th-hour player withdrawal later, one welcome phone call to follow, and three terrific rounds of golf that weekend, and the Nobles- ville, Ind., native had scored one of the most unlikely upset championships in the 20-year history of the Jones Cup. Modleski carded a 3-under-par 69 in the final round of the three-round tournament to finish with a 1-under 215, making him the only player in the field to finish the tournament in red numbers. The victory earned Modleski an ex- emption into the RSM Classic PGA Tour event at the Sea Island Seaside Course Nov. 21-24 at St. Simons Island, Ga. For perspective, the Jones Cup fea- tures a past champions list that includes PGA Tour regulars Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed, along with former Irish standout golfer Palmer Jackson. "It's a testament to our team, our mentality, and our coaching," Modleski said of his victory, adding that he was inspired in the event by Jackson, a for- mer Irish teammate, who won the Jones Cup title in 2022. "These tournaments aren't easy to win. "And, being able to see that [Jackson] had done it, that was really a cool ex- ample for me to follow. It's just cool for the team." Modleski joined the Notre Dame pro- gram in 2023 following a great finish in the junior ranks that included an Indi- ana Boys State Junior Championship, a second-place finish at the Western Junior Championship and a 17th-place finish in the U.S. Junior Am. A three-time All-Indiana honoree out of Guerin Catholic High School, Modleski had a long list of options for where to play his college golf. But a close proximity to home, along with the bal- ance between academics and athletics, pulled him to Notre Dame. "I visited a lot of schools, but it was pretty clear that I wanted to go to school here, it's such a special place," said Modleski, who visited campus for the first time during an Irish football week- end in October 2021. "When I left from that visit, I knew I wanted to go here, and it's been unbelievable." Modleski explained how he became interested in golf as a youngster playing with his grandfather, father and older brother, but always more as a pastime than a passion. His focus and approach to the game changed when he began winning tour- naments and gaining attention as a high school sophomore in 2020. "From there, that's when my interest spread a little bit," Modleski explained. "Because that's when I realized that this could be something more than just kind of a game I played with my brother." Modleski made an immediate impact as an Irish freshman in 2023-24, record- ing eight top-15 individual finishes, while posting the second-best single- season scoring average in program his- tory at 70.3 strokes per round. All of it contributed to Notre Dame making its first appearance in the NCAA Men's Golf National Championship since 1966. "It all just goes to speak that no mat- ter how any of us are playing, we still know we are all there for one another," Modleski explained. "And that makes playing for each other a lot more fun and a lot easier." ✦ Irish Roundup HOCKEY (2-0 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG TEN) Opened the season with wins at St. Lawrence (4-1) Oct. 11 and at Clarkson (5-2) Oct. 12. MEN'S SOCCER (5-3-4 OVERALL, 2-2-1 ACC) Tied North Carolina 1-1 Oct. 11 at Alumni Stadium. WOMEN'S SOCCER (9-1-3 OVERALL, 3-0-3 ACC) Played Louisville to a 0-0 on the road Oct. 12 … Defeated Cal 5-2 Oct. 17 at Alumni Stadium. WOMEN'S SWIMMING (1-0 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) Opened the season with a 180-82 victory over Miami (Ohio) Oct. 11. VOLLEYBALL (9-6 OVERALL, 2-4 ACC) Suffered a pair of ACC road defeats at Miami (3-2) Oct. 11 and at Florida State (3-1) Oct. 13. Irish Amateur Champion Jacob Modleski Making A Quick Mark N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Modleski made an immediate impact as an Irish freshman in 2023-24, recording eight top-15 individual finishes, while posting the second-best single-season scoring average in program history at 70.3 strokes per round. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS