Notre Dame standout, Franklin Regional grad Palmer Jackson receives local golf award

Each time he swats a drive down the center of the fairway with a gentle cut or hard fade, Palmer Jackson improves his game.

With each flip wedge or curling putt, he is dialing in to something more.

Whether it is physical swing mechanics or a sharper mental approach, Jackson always is looking to get better to gain an edge over his competitors.

That focus and constant attention to detail has allowed the former Franklin Regional star and rising sophomore at Notre Dame to dominate local golf, take his game to national stages and has equipped him to compete at the highest level of the college game.

After a stellar freshman season at Notre Dame, a debut that has made his home corner of Pennsylvania proud, Jackson received another piece of hardware.

He is the recipient of the 2019-20 Frank Fuhrer III Award, given yearly to the area player whom award officials deem the best in college golf.

Jackson, who led the Fighting Irish with a 70.79 scoring average, had a historic run last year. He reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst and won the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association C.R. Miller Match Play tournament.

He also captured the 2019 Memorial AJGA at Ohio State.

At the Amateur, the former PIAA Class AAA champion defeated Stanford national champion and 2018 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Isaiah Salinda, 2-up.

“Winning this award is special because Mr. Fuhrer has provided me with memories and opportunities that I am gratfeul for,” Jackson said. “His event has been a staple on my schedule for the past three years now.”

He won Notre Dame’s final event of the fall season, shooting 16-under-par 200 (67-66-67) at the Quail Valley Collegiate. The Fighting Irish broke the 54-hole record, and Jackson sealed the victory with a birdie on the last hole.

The spring season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Big news today for @NDMensGolf star Palmer Jackson (@pdjack_)!

He's been given the Frank Fuhrer III Award, which is given to the country's top college golfer from Western Pennsylvania! pic.twitter.com/UfGK7EjaMx

— Mark Skol, Jr. (@markskoljr_WNDU) June 8, 2020

Notre Dame won four times in five team events in the fall and set a program mark for scoring average (282.26 strokes per round).

Jackson also was nominated for the Phil Mickelson Award, which recognizes college golf’s top freshman.

Jackson, who plans to play the top local events this summer, is in the field for the U.S. Amateur on Aug. 10-16 at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.

Fuhrer is the son of Frank B. Fuhrer, the wholesale beer mogul who runs the annual Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational. The younger Fuhrer was a talented college and amateur player in the late 1970s and early ’80s, suiting up for North Carolina.

Past winners of the Fuhrer award include Chris Kupniewski of Mercyhurst (2017), Andy Butler of Villanova (2018) and Connor Schmidt of Drexel (2019).

Jackson was out of action for several weeks as he deals with a hip injury he suffered while running long distance during the coronavirus shutdown. The tweak occured in April.

“I am slowly getting better and am almost healed,” he said. “I should be good to go for the summer.”

Palmer Jackson, University of Notre Dame, named the 2020 Frank Fuhrer, III College Player of the Year. Congrats, @pdjack_!

?: https://t.co/VUlDewWLPe#wpga pic.twitter.com/RYh8PoTraW

— Western Pennsylvania GA (@wpga) June 8, 2020