The men's golf team shot a 54-hole total of 886 this weekend, claiming third place at the Cavalier Classic at the University of Virginia. Top-ranked Georgia Tech claimed the title of the 18-team tournament with a three-day score of 875. Virginia moved past the Blue Devils on the tournament's final day to steal second place by one stoke.
Blue Devil senior Jason Widener was phenomenal, tying a course record on Saturday by shooting a six-under par 66. After two days on the links, the Blue Devils, led by Widener's performance, were but a stroke behind the nation's number one team. But Duke could not maintain its Saturday form, slipping to a 301 for the day on Sunday and dropping to third for the weekend.
"It was probably a combination of things," said head coach Rod Myers. "The wind blew up pretty strong. We had a few bad breaks early, and couldn't overcome them."
Georgia Tech All-American David Duval claimed the individual title with a two-under par 214 performance. He was the only player under par for the tournament.
Duval was pushed by Widener, though, who led the field after two days. Widener's course-tying performance on Saturday gave him a two-stroke lead over Duval, but several bad breaks on Sunday slipped him to a 77 and cost Widener the individual title.
Widener's 66 on Saturday tied the course record for all-time play, and broke the course record of 67 for competitive play.
"He just played flawless golf," said senior teammate and roommate Tom Hurley. "It was one of those things where everything goes right. It was just awesome."
For the tournament Widener shot a 74-66-77, for a one-over par total of 217. On Sunday, a strong wind carried three of Widener's shots into the water. On a calmer day, Widener may have carried the individual title back to Durham.
Three Blue Devils finished within three strokes of each other in the top one-third of the pack. Junior Mike Muehr shot a 73-72-78, locked in a three-way tie for 17th place with a 223 total for the tournament. Senior Tom Hurley was two strokes behind with a 78-75-72-225, good for a share of 22nd place. Junior Aaron Crewse followed Hurley with tournament totals of 81-71-74-226, finishing in a tie for 25th place. Freshman Justin Klein rounded out the Duke quintet, shooting a 76-77-83 for the weekend.
The Blue Devils' strong showing will be important for NCAA Tournament possibilities. Duke placed ahead of other "bubble" teams like N.C. State, Furman, and Augusta, and probably clinched a bid.
"It was kind of a tough day, but we're headed in the right direction," said Myers. "We were hoping for a chance to beat a few teams ranked ahead of us [like Georgia Tech and Virginia], and we just came up short."
ACC schools dominated the tournament, claiming four of the top five team spots and six out of the top nine individual performances. Furman had a team score of 888, finishing two strokes behind the Blue Devils, while North Carolina State shot an 898 to round out the top five.
The Blue Devils' next tournament is at home in Durham, as Duke hosts the John Ryan Iron Duke Classic on the weekend of May 11-12.
Should the Blue Devils make the NCAA Tournament they will head back to Charlottesville, where Jason Widener may get another chance at the course record and a much bigger title.
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