In a sport where patience and concentration are of the utmost importance, the women's golf team is frightfully young.
Despite its youth, however, the Blue Devils are confident that they have what it takes to have a very successful season.
"We are very patient and very mature," coach Dan Brooks said. "We can wait for the scores to unfold. That's the key to this game."
In last weekend's NCAA Fall Preview Tournament, Duke sent two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior to Columbus, Ohio to compete in a tournament composed of many of the nation's top teams. The Blue Devils finished in third place overall in the tournament and demonstrated their maturity by recovering from a slow start in the final round.
"Right now we're dealing with some tournament inexperience," sophomore Jenny Chuasiriporn said. "But we all have experience from before college. [Our youth] shouldn't affect us too much."
Duke believes that its youth will actually turn into an advantage by the end of the season. In the long run, the Blue Devils will have extremely talented and experienced golfers as they mature over the next few years. In the short run, Brooks believes that Duke is more likely to show improvement during this season than other teams. The golf season is eight months long, and by the end of this time, the newer golfers will have gained a lot of valuable experience.
"We'll see a lot of improvement," Brooks said. "We're going to see how good they can be."
Duke's two established stars are sophomore sensation Chuasiriporn and junior Alicia Allison. Last year, Chuasiriporn was the Atlantic Coast Conference's Rookie of the Year, an All-ACC selection and an honorable mention All-America choice. This year, she has tied for third place in the Lady Tar Heel Invitational and finished as runner-up in the Fall Preview.
Allison adds experience to the Blue Devil squad. She has started in all of Duke's 22 tournaments over the last two years. Last year she finished among the top 20 in seven tournaments, including placing in the top 10 in five of the Blue Devils' final six events. In the Fall Preview she said her strokes were a little off, but she was still able to place 10th.
Last year, Duke won the ACC Championships and the NCAA East Regionals. They have lost three key players from that squad, all of whom ranked among the top five on the team in average strokes per round, including two-time All-Americans Kathi Poppmeier and Stephanie Sparks. To compensate for the loss, the Blue Devils have recruited two freshmen-Anne Cardea and Amie Lehman.
"[Cardea and Lehman] have only begun to find out how good they can be," Brooks said.
Although golf is typically an individual sport, Brooks emphasizes the team aspect of the game. He says Duke has great team chemistry, and that the Blue Devil golfers all have the potential to have good seasons.
"I see a lot of possibility in everyone," Brooks said. "We are not a one-horse team. We have too much depth [to think that way]. We are very united, very motivated and very talented."
The Blue Devils have high expectations this season. Although they focus on the present, they expect to win every tournament they play in. To do so, Duke will have to beat the two teams that beat them this weekend, defending national champion Arizona and conference rival Wake Forest.
"I am only concerned about one team, and that's Arizona," Brooks said. "If you can beat Arizona every time you play them, you can beat anyone."
The Blue Devils feel they can take on any competition, no matter how strong. They believe they are one of the best teams in the country, and are contenders to win many tournaments.
"[The Fall Preview] proved a lot," Chuasiriporn said. "It proved that even if we don't play our best, we can still place well."
The maturity and talent of Duke will be tested in two more tournaments before the long four-month winter break. If they can concentrate and remain patient, the Blue Devils can become one of the nation's elite teams.
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