As the men's golf team learned at the Keswick Club Cavalier Classic over the weekend, a short course does not always mean an easy course.
Although the length of the course at the Keswick Golf Club in Charlottesville, Va., was only 6,307 yards, the Blue Devils struggled with the fast and hilly greens on their way to a sixth place finish.
Duke shot 874 on the par-71 course, losing by one stroke to North Carolina, but beating regional rivals Furman and Maryland.
In addition to the unevenness of the greens, the pin placement was often at the top of a hill, causing missed putts to roll right back down and result in extra strokes.
"The greens were treacherous," coach Rod Myers said. "If a player missed the green it was very difficult to get the ball back up."
The greens also had not been watered in over a week, making them hard and fast.
"The greens were dry and almost brown-not even green really," junior Kyle Elfers said. "If you just barely touched the ball it would roll twenty yards."
As he did in the Blue Devils' first match of the year, Elfers turned in Duke's low score, shooting an even-par 213.
Elfers finished in fifth place, tying his career high.
"I'm happy with how I played," Elfers said. "I played really steady and really smart. It was a tricky course, and the only way to play successfully was to just plug along and play smart."
After an injury rendered him unable to play more than five rounds his freshman year, Elfers spent most of his sophomore year on crutches. It was not until the last few tournaments of the 1996 season that he became a part of the traveling team.
"We really felt Kyle would be outstanding player for us at some time," Myers said, "and I think that time has come."
Elfers has stepped in this season as the most likely candidate to fill the void left by second-team All-American Jason Buha, who graduated last year. He is growing into the role of a team leader.
"I guess I feel more comfortable in a more demanding role," Elfers said. "The coach and the players believe that I can contribute to the team this year."
Senior Chris Schmid also finished in the top 20, shooting 71-72-74 for a four-over par 214. Schmid and Elfers were both had their rounds cut short on Saturday when a heavy fog came over the course. They had to finish their second rounds early Sunday morning.
The next lowest score for Duke came courtesy of Marc Chatelain, a Duke transfer student and a native of Switzerland. Chatelain competed as an individual in the tournament and shot a 219 for 24th place.
Duke is using the fall season to see who will be picking up the team leadership, and to see where the team stands as a whole.
"I think right now what we're really trying to do is get a little identity-to figure out who we are and where we're trying to go."
The Blue Devils do not compete again until Oct. 16-17, when they travel to Newport, R.I., for the Adam's Cup of Newport.
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