Still trying to sort out its lineup, the men's golf team split into two squads this week to provide tournament experience to as many players as possible.
Duke's "B" team captured the title at the Tom O'Bryant Memorial Invitational hosted by Guilford College in Greensboro, shooting a 601 on the par-70 course over two rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Its "A" squad, meanwhile, traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., where it finished 10th in a strong field at the Tennessee Tournament of Champions.
"What we're finding out about [the "B" team players] is what we wouldn't if we don't give them a chance to compete," said Blue Devil coach Rod Myers. "If they can't play then we can't see how good they are. I wish we could provide more opportunities like this, but we don't get to do it very much."
Senior T.J. Cooper led the "B" team, shooting a 149 for a fourth-place finish. Sophomore Jim Donnelly's 150 put him two spots behind Cooper. Duke's 301 on Monday put it on top of the leader board after the first round, which it followed up by shooting a 300 on Tuesday.
In Tennessee, senior Chris Schmid led the Blue Devils with a 219, good for 24th overall. Junior Kyle Elfers was 31st with his 220. Duke was in ninth place after Monday's first two rounds, shooting a 293 and a 291 on the par-72 course, and continued to play consistently on Tuesday before struggling on the last two holes under windy conditions. The Blue Devils' 887 put it in a tie for 10th with Auburn, in a field which featured eight ranked teams. Four fellow Atlantic Coast Conference teams finished ahead of Duke.
"It's very helpful to play against ACC teams right now," Myers said. "We're always trying to size each other up. The number one thing is to see where the competition is, and who's playing well. You also want to see how good you'll have to be to be ACC champs."
The coach said he was encouraged that the Blue Devils were ahead of Georgia Tech, which is No. 17 in the nation, before struggling on the tournament's final two holes.
Duke, however, will have many more opportunities to improve before April's ACC Championship. The Blue Devils won't have to travel very far for their next tournament, when they host the Duke Golf Classic on Oct. 19 and 20. As the fall season progresses, Myers will continue to evaluate his team.
"Our number one thing right now is to put together the strongest lineup we can in terms of our top five," he said. "We need someone to jump up and compete for individual titles. If not, we're going to have to rely on the strength of getting consistency from our top five players."
Myers said that the top candidate for the No. 1 spot is sophomore Mike Christensen, who qualified for this summer's U.S. Amateur Tournament but finished 40th in Tennessee with a 223. Elfers and Schmid should also be in the Blue Devils' top three, with the remaining two spots up for grabs.
The coach added that a late '80s Blue Devil squad shot about an 887 in Tennessee and finished fifth, which shows how much college golf has improved since then, and what Duke has to do to keep up.
"Our guys realize we can be competitive," Myers said. "What we need to do is work harder and try to put everything together. That's the main reason for the fall season."
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