A St. Patrick's Day to remember for Notre Dame's DiLisio, Albrecht in the Clover Cup

   It was appropriate that the final day of the final Clover Cup in the Notre Dame careers of seniors Isabella DiLisio, who won the 2013 PIAA Class AAA title as a junior at Mount St. Joseph, and Emma Albrecht of Ormond Beach, Fla. would land on St. Patrick’s Day.

   They had both played in the Clover Cup, the annual spring event hosted by the Fighting Irish at Longview Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., all four years they’ve been at Notre Dame. They’ve both been in the starting lineup, with few, if any, exceptions, in every tournament Notre Dame has teed it up in the last four seasons.

   Two years ago, Albrecht represented Notre Dame as an individual in the NCAA Columbus Regional and last spring she returned to the postseason, this time with DiLisio and the rest of the team joining her at the NCAA Columbus Regional.

   So, maybe it was just a coincidence that the two Notre Dame stalwarts’ final appearance in the Clover Cup came on St. Patty’s Day, but a nice coincidence nonetheless.

   DiLisio was at her best on the final day, putting five birdies on her card in a 1-over-par 73 over the 6,184-yard, par-72 Longview layout. It left DiLisio among the four players tied for seventh at 5-over 221. DiLisio had opened with a 3-over 75 and added a 1-over 73 in the second round. It was her first top-10 of the 2018-’19 season and the seventh of her career.

   Albrecht matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-over 74 before stumbling a little in the final round with a 5-over 77 that left her in the group tied for 11^th at 7-over 223.

   They helped the Fighting Irish, No. 73 in the latest Golfstat rankings, post their best team score of the weekend, a 9-over 297 that enabled them to finish sixth in the team standings in the 15-team field at 42-over 906. There were some hints that the weather was a little tough, but if you’ve played four years of college golf, you’ve endured difficult conditions on numerous occasions.

   Southern California arrived in Mesa as the top-ranked team in the Golfstat rankings. The Trojans, a semifinalist in last spring’s NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., probably didn’t feel like they were at their best, but they grinded out a 16-shot victory with a 12-over 876 total.

   It was the fourth win of the season for Southern California, which was led by Jennifer Chang, a sophomore from Cary, N.C. and the No. 25 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who was one of four co-medalists in the individual standings.

   Southern California opened with a 4-over 292 and added a 5-over 293 before closing with a solid 3-over 291. No. 25 Houston, which also had one of the four co-medalists in Leonie Harm, a senior from Germany and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, finished up with the best team round of the tournament, a 2-under 286 to claim runnerup honors at 28-over 892.

   No. 58 Kentucky, led by individual co-medalist Leonie Bettel, a senior from Austria, closed with a 7-over 295 to finish alone in third place at 30-over 894, two shots behind Houston.

   No. 22 Oklahoma, led by the fourth of the quartet of individual co-medalists, Libby Winans, a freshman from Richardson, Texas, was a shot behind Kentucky in fourth at 31-over 895 after the Sooners closed with a 9-over 297.

   It was another seven shots back to No. 45 Mississippi State in fifth place at 38-over 905 as the Bulldogs finished up with an 11-over 299.

   Notre Dame had opened with a 303 and added a 306 in the second round before closing with a 297 to finish four shots behind Mississippi State in sixth place at 906.

   Chang, the runnerup in the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo., matched par in the first two rounds with a pair of 72s at Longview before closing with a 2-under 70 that got her a share of the top individual honors. It was her second career tournament win.

   Chang was one of the four freshmen who belied their lack of experience by carrying the Trojans all the way to the NCAA semifinals before they finally fell to Alabama last spring.

   Another of those fab four, Amelia Garvey, a sophomore from New Zealand, backed up Chang as she finished in a tie for fifth at 4-over 220. Garvey opened with 2-over 74 before adding a pair of 1-over 73s.

   Alyaa Abdulghany, a sophomore from Newport Beach, Calif., was another of those four freshmen last spring and she actually competed as an individual in the Clover Cup and was part of the group along with Notre Dame’s DiLisio that finished tied for seventh at 5-over 221. Abdulghany closed with a 1-under 71.

   This year’s stud freshman for Southern Cal, Malia Nam of Kailua, Hawaii, was also in that quartet tied for seventh at 221. After opening with a 1-over 73, Nam added a pair of 2-over 74s.

   The last of Southern Cal’s fab four of freshmen last spring, Gabriela Ruffels, a sophomore from Australia, finished among the group tied for 11^th at 7-over 223 as she closed with her second straight 74.

   Rounding out the starting lineup for the Trojans was Allisen Corpuz, a junior from Honolulu, Hawaii and No. 36 in the Women’s WAGR who finished among the group tied for 30^th at 229 after a final-round 79. Corpuz was the “veteran” sophomore that rounded out the lineup at Karsten Creek last spring.

   Southern Cal had another player competing as an individual and Aiko Leong, a junior from Honolulu, was in the group tied for 11^th at 223 with her teammate Ruffels. Leong posted a pair of 2-over 74s before closing with a 75

   Head coach Justin Silverstein, who took over when legendary Southern Cal boss Andrea Gaston departed for a new challenge at Texas A&M, will certainly have options when it comes time to fill out the lineup for the postseason. In the meantime, he gets to watch what must be among the most competitive intra-team qualifiers in the country.

   Houston’s Harm became the first German woman to win the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship last summer at Hillside Golf Club in Southport, England. She matched the best round in Sunday’s final round with a 4-under 68 to get her share of the top spot and earn her third career tournament win.

   Kentucky’s Bettel opened with the best individual round of the tournament, a 5-under 67, and took a three-shot lead into the final round after a 2-over 74 in the second round. She struggled a little early in the final round, but a 1-over 73 enabled her to hold on for the third tournament title of her career.

   Oklahoma’s Winans matched Harm’s final-round 68 to earn her share of the title, the first of her college career.

   Harm’s Houston teammate, Hannah Screen, a freshman from the United Kingdom, also matched that low total for the final round with a 4-under 68 to join Southern Cal’s Garvey in the tie for fifth at 4-over 220, two shots behind the top four.

   Joining Notre Dame’s DiLisio and Southern Cal’s Nam and Abdulghany in the foursome tied for seventh at 5-over 221 was Mercer’s Mary Janiga, a senior from Wellington, Fla. After struggling in the opening round with a 78, Janiga fired a 2-under 70 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Junior Mia Ayer, a junior from Waco, Texas, backed up Notre Dame’s two seniors as she matched DiLisio’s final round of 1-over 73 for Fighting Irish medalist honors for the day that left her in the group tied for 35^th at 230.

   Abby Heck, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., closed with a solid 2-over 74 to finish among the group tied for 45^th at 232. Heck had struggled to a pair of 79s in the first two rounds.

   Emma Albrecht’s younger sister Claire, a freshman, struggled in her first visit to Longview as she closed  with an 83 to finish alone in 89^th at 261.