Tuesday evening was supposed to mark the coronation of the Duke women's golf team as the 1996 Duke Spring Invitational champions. Instead, it proved to be the moment of decapitation.
Heading into the final round at the Duke Golf Club, the Blue Devils were poised to extend their tournament title streak to three, a feat which has never been accomplished in school history. The team looked like a lock to win, as it entered Tuesday's play 15 shots ahead of its nearest competitor, Wake Forest. The players had the confidence, the talent and the home course familiarity to close it out and win the home tournament for the second time in as many years.
What the Blue Devils got instead was a bitter taste of golfing reality.
"It's disappointing," Duke head coach Dan Brooks said. "It's tough to have a lead like we did and then lose it. I'm disappointed for the team, but in no way am I disappointed in the team. It's always difficult not to win, but I don't see this as a serious problem in any way.
"It doesn't have anything to do with being in an uncomfortable situation. We were confident going in and everybody was ready to play their best golf. We were poised and never nervous about heading into today with a lead. "
What made the defeat that much harder was the way that the Blue Devils had played in the opening two rounds. Starting in the early morning drizzle on Sunday, the Blue Devils set out to conquer the 5,984-yard layout and continue building on the stellar play that has led the team to its recent tournament success. Entering the tournament, the Blue Devils had the honor of being the team to beat in the East.
It really wasn't a surprise then when Duke, ranked No. 4 nationally, finished the first day in first place, one shot ahead of the Demon Deacons. Freshman Jenny Chuasiriporn paced the Blue Devils with a one-under-par 72, and seniors Kathi Poppmeier and Stephanie Sparks were not far behind with two 74s. Sparks' round was even more encouraging considering that recent back trouble made her playing status somewhat questionable coming in.
As the rain and cool temperatures continued into Monday's play, so did the hot sticks of the entire team. Poppmeier took full control of the reigns and showed why she is an All-American as she set a personal, tournament and course standard with a 67. Next in line was sophomore Alicia Allison, who dropped five shots off her opening round to shoot an even-par 73. Junior Liz Lepanto, who was playing in the tournament as an individual, also came in with a two-day total of 151. All combined, the team total of 289 for the second round marked a tournament low.
What happened next to the Blue Devils still remains a mystery. Anybody who has ever played golf realizes that some days on the links are just worse than others. It's just extra hard to take when the bad day happens to be the same for every player on one team.
All eight Blue Devils who played in the tournament, besides senior Jamie Koizumi, who shot a 77, picked Sunday to shoot their high round of the tournament. Only two players in the top five, Poppmeier and Chuasiriporn, broke 80 the final day. Poppmeier's final round added even more salt to the wound as it dropped her from the top spot into third. She was passed by Alexandra Armas and eventual champion Laura Philo, both from Wake Forest. The Blue Devils' total left them in second place overall, seven shots behind the champion Deacons.
"I think it was purely a coincidental thing," Brooks said. "The best players in the world are capable of shooting 80 on any given day, and it was just a coincidence that today we averaged a little over 80 as a team. It's only speculation, but I would guess that the weather and course set-up may have had an effect. We were able to attack the course the first two days, and then the weather got colder and the course was more difficult. Sometimes when you aren't striking the ball as well, you have to play a little more conservative. I would have to guess that we didn't adjust too well to this."
Duke will soon get another chance at the Deacons when the ACC Championships get underway on April 11. The outcome this week will definitely have its effect on the Blue Devils as they get closer and closer to the NCAA Championships and the ultimate prize.
"This is automatically a motivator," Brooks said. "It's built in. I wouldn't expect them to question this result a bit."
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