Duke knew it would need big performances from its top golfers as it faced arguably the deepest field in the history of the Annika Intercollegiate tournament. After three solid rounds this weekend, there is no doubt that the Blue Devils got the memo.
Riding strong performances from junior Celine Boutier and freshman Leona Maguire, Duke placed fifth overall in the 10-team tournament at the Watson Course at the Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla.
“I think it was a good ball-striking tournament," Duke head coach Dan Brooks said. “I don’t think the greens were conducive to making a lot of putts, but we were able to put the ball right at the pin or real close to the pin.”
Although the return of Boutier for her first collegiate tournament of the season was one of the biggest stories surrounding the Blue Devils in Orlando, the performance of Maguire stole the show. A freshman from Cavan, Ireland, Maguire used a strong performance on day two of the tournament to catapult her to an eight-under-par overall score for the tournament and a second-place finish. With the Blue Devils sitting in eighth as a team after round one, Maguire shot six-under-par in the second round—just one of many great Blue Devil performances on the day—and helped Duke climb to fifth by the end of play Monday. Although Maguire would eventually fall one shot short of tournament winner Justine Dreher from South Carolina, the performance was Maguire’s best this season.
“She was literally inches from the hole on her approach shot on many holes,” Brooks said. “She’s got a fantastic swing, she works really hard and she’s got a great long game, and that adds up to low scores.”
Competing against some of the top golfers in the nation, Duke had little margin for error early in the tournament. Yet after Sunday's first round, the Blue Devils found themselves in eighth place, 13 shots behind first-place Arizona. However, the breakthrough performance by Maguire and the consistency of Boutier on day two helped Duke shoot two-under-par as a team and climb back into contention. Boutier,—who shot one-under-par Sunday and Monday—came on strong in the final round, posting a score of 68 on the par-72 course and pushing to a third-place finish in the tournament.
“I would characterize Celine as a rock because she is such a solid player, ” Brooks said. “She’s taken all this experience that she’s gained and just learned all that she can and she’s developed into a very, very solid player.”
Sandy Choi—fresh off her victory in the Cougar Classic and being named Golfweek Player of the Week—got off to a promising start in her final round before hitting a rough patch. The sophomore was one-under-par through her first 12 holes Tuesday, but settled for four straight bogeys that dropped her to eight-over-par for the tournament and a 42nd-place finish.
The rest of the Blue Devil lineup struggled to find a groove, but showed flashes of promise throughout the weekend. Junior Yi Xiao from China was able to slowly get in a rhythm early in her final round after slow starts in rounds one and two but finished 18-over-par. Freshman Lisa-Maguire responded well to two early double bogeys Tuesday and was able to regroup to finish tied for 55th overall at 16-over-par.
For Brooks, the lasting image of the tournament was the tremendous ball striking of Boutier and Leona Maguire—both of whom consistently hit greens and fairways throughout the three days.
“I think my game has been getting better and better every day,” Boutier said. “I’m just really happy with my long game because my irons were really straight and I could hit it where I wanted it to be.”
Boutier's top-five finish for was nothing new for the defending ACC Player of the Year. Nevertheless, success in the early season tournament gave the junior an additional boost of confidence as the season continues.
“Each round you play helps you know yourself a little better and your own strengths and weaknesses, ” Boutier said. "You don’t get as nervous as you used to and you just know that you’ve been there before."
The Blue Devils will look to use their performance in Orlando as a stepping-stone on the way to a successful season. Duke next competes in the Tar Heel Invitational Oct. 10-12.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.