Hanneman, No. 1 Blue Devils roll to easy opening win

CHAPEL HILL - If anyone had doubted that the women's golf team deserved to be ranked No. 1 in the country, chances are they don't anymore.

Instead, spectators at this weekend's Lady Tar Heel Invitational began pondering whether or not this is the greatest women's golf team in college history.

While it is certainly too early to answer that question, in their first competition of the year the Blue Devils scorched the rest of the field, winning the Invitational by a whopping 36 strokes with a 10-under par 854 team score.

Freshman Candy Hannemann won the individual title with her score of four-under par, and five other Blue Devils finished in the top 10. Jenny Chuasiriporn and Beth Bauer, both at one-under par, were involved in a three-way tie for third place.

"It's nice to see that we're all backing each other up," Chuasiriporn said of the team's depth. "It's unlike any team I've seen; it's so deep. To have six players in the top 10 is more than any team can ask for."

Hannemann's victory in her first collegiate tournament seemed like asking too much, but Hannemann edged out South Florida's Kelly Lagedrost by a stroke, despite shooting a final-round 73-her first over-par round of the weekend.

Hannemann shot even par in the opening round, then climbed into the lead Saturday with a second-round 67. That day she notched five birdies and no bogeys to take a four-stroke lead. Sunday started off in similar fashion, with birdies on the first three holes.

"My iron play and putting were really good this weekend," Hannemann said. "It was kind of shocking. I came out with a 67 and then three birdies in a row, and I wouldn't say I was uncomfortable with it, but it was a situation where I kept to myself and was like, 'Oh my gosh, what's going on?'"

Instead she finished tied for third with Bauer. Bauer, the eighth-ranked golfer in the country, began her collegiate career with a 76 on Friday. She bounced back with scores of 69 and 70 over the last two days to climb up the leaderboard.

Amie Lehman also overcame a first-round 79 and shot well the next two days to finish in seventh place. Junior Anne Cardea rounded out Duke's starting five, but after shooting par on Friday, she struggled the rest of the tournament, finishing in 23rd at 12-over.

Perhaps more amazing than Duke's dominating win is the fact that two other Blue Devils finished in the top 10, but because they were playing as individuals, their score did not count toward Duke's team score.

Kalen Anderson was steady throughout and finished in sixth with a two-over. Senior Filippa Hansson was tied with Chuasiriporn for first on Friday, remained tied with Chuasiriporn on Saturday, but then fell off the pace and shot a 77 on Sunday. Still, her efforts earned her fifth career top-10 finish.

"I'm not surprised we did this well," coach Dan Brooks said. "I've been watching them play this kind of golf all summer and in qualifiers. [This type of depth] is enjoyable. It's a sweet situation-there's no way you can be on this team and not further develop your game."

While this weekend certainly proved that the Blue Devils can be dominating, the tournament did not involve the nation's best. Of the 16 other teams in the field, only three were ranked, and none higher than No. 15 Tennessee, which finished seventh. The competition gets much steeper next week when Duke travels to Oklahoma for the NCAA Fall Preview.