Palmer Jackson knows what it is like to be under par on the golf course. But his college golf career is plus-one.
Jackson, a standout out of Franklin Regional, announced he will play a fifth year at Notre Dame, delaying his plans to turn professional.
“I really want to go play pro golf,” Jackson said. “That’s what I’ve always worked towards. I’ve realized, though, that pro golf isn’t going anywhere.
“I have an opportunity to go back to Notre Dame and improve and keep developing. There’s no reason to rush into pro golf. It took me a while to realize that, but fortunately a lot of people smarter than me have nudged me in the right direction.”
We’re thrilled to announce Palmer Jackson is coming back for a fifth and final season!
— Notre Dame Men's Golf (@NDMensGolf) July 26, 2023
Welcome back home, Palmer! @pdjack_ #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/X9nPf3AaSK
Last season, as a senior, Jackson played in 13 tournaments, including 11 as the team’s No. 1 golfer, and had four top-15 finishes.
Jackson took second at the Irish Match, tied for 13th at the Fighting Irish Classic and was tied for 14th at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational.
He was 14th in the ACC with a 71.0 scoring average, recording 15 sub-par rounds.
A finalist for the Byron Nelson Award, Jackson was an NCAA Regional qualifier and was a Division I PING All-Region selection.
He also carded 11 top-10 finishes with the team last season.
“It helps that our team will have some great young talent this year,” Jackson said. “We had success as a team, but I really feel that with the team this year we can do some damage.”
Jackson already has played in a pair of PGA Tour events on exemptions.
Jackson and the Fighting Irish will play on some of golf’s hallowed grounds this fall. Notre Dame is playing in the inaugural St. Andrews Links Collegiate, set for Oct. 23-25 at the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.
