MacTier, Ont. – The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish moved a step closer to successfully defending their 2024 title on Monday, collectively shooting 13-under at Öviinbyrd Golf Club to carry a five-stroke lead into the final round of the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Invitational.
On Sunday, Nate Stevens of Northfield, Minn., kicked off the tournament with a team-best 5-under 67 to help the Fighting Irish set the pace at 12-under par. On Monday, it was his teammate, Calen Sanderson of Newtown, Pa. who carried the charge for the defending champions, piecing together a bogey-free 7-under 67 to extend his side’s lead over the University of Michigan Wolverines to five strokes heading into the final round of the Canadian Collegiate Invitational.
Sanderson, who began his second round on Monday in sixth place on the Individual leaderboards after opening with a 4-under 68, rolled in seven birdie putts to not only help inch his team closer to victory, but grab the outright lead in the tournament’s individual competition as well.
Birdies on Nos. four and seven got things going for Sanderson before the senior poured on four more birdies over the next six holes to personify his move up the leaderboard and grab a share of the lead with Isaiah Ibit of Orleans, Ont., at 10-under. Sanderson would go on to make par on his holes 14 through 17 before rolling in a birdie putt on the last to take a one-stroke edge over Ibit at 11-under.
“I’ve been playing the par-5s great this week, I think I’ve taken care of every single one of them with birdie so if you can do that here, you’re setting yourself up for success. I’ve done a great job of that over the last few days and am looking to keep it up tomorrow,” said Sanderson after nabbing birdies at all four of the course’s par-5s to help reel into contention on Monday.
As for Sanderson’s ambition of clinching another Canadian Collegiate Invitational, the message remains simple for the unit he feels is well-equipped with the right personnel to put the finishing touches on a wire-to-wire victory come Tuesday.
“We just got to compete hard until the last putt drops. We’re a great team and have so much talent and so much depth on this team and every one of us is capable of shooting the best score on the team tomorrow,” said Sandstrom. “I fully believe in all these guys, and I know we’re going to have a great day tomorrow.”
Individually, the Notre Dame product will be rivalled by Ibit, who overcame an errant drive that resulted in a double bogey on the second hole with five birdies to claw his way to a hard-fought 70 on Monday.
“I knew there were holes ahead that I could easily get the strokes back, so I didn’t really pay It much attention,” commented Ibit. “Just play your own game, try and shoot the best score you can and at the end of the day just see what happens,” he added. Ibit, who finished runner-up in the event’s individual competition last year, will begin the final round a stroke behind Sanderson and with a one-shot lead of his own over Lucas Politano of Brandon, Vt., the latter catching fire on Monday with a six-under performance to get into contention.
Jacob Modleski of Noblesville, Ind. and John Logan of Wilmington, N.C. both trail Politano at 8-under and are in a tie for fourth, with Logan tying the course record on Monday with an impressive 9-under 63.
The winner of the Canadian Collegiate Invitational individual competition will earn a spot in the 2026 RBC Canadian Open, while the top five finishers at the end of Tuesday’s final round will secure a place in next year’s Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO.
As for the second round of the Team Canada Selection Camp taking place concurrently alongside this week’s Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Alexis Rouleau of Montreal, Que. each leads Emile Lebrun of Laval, Que by three strokes at 6-under par. Jager Pain of Woodbridge, Ont. sits a stroke back of Lebrun in third while Dawson Lew of Toronto, Ont. and Austin Krahn of Christina Lakes, B.C. rounds out the top five at 1-under and 2-over respectively through 36 holes. Tuesday’s winner will receive a guaranteed spot on the Team Canada squad in 2026.
To view the full leaderboard of the Team Canada Selection Camp, please click here. To view the full leaderboard, as well as find final round tee times and further information on the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, please click here.
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