The women's golf team began the season with the No. 1 ranking and four straight tournament wins. They entered the NCAA Championships with a school record eight tournament wins. But had they not left Tulsa, Okla. as national champions, the season would have been a horrible disappointment.
But the Blue Devils did not leave disappointed. They capped an incredible season with their first-ever national title, and just the fourth in school history in any sport.
"This means everything to me," Jenny Chuasiriporn said. "It's been a goal for me for so long. And to actually know the last four years have built up to this, it's a great feeling."
Like they had done so many times before, the Blue Devils jumped off to an incredible, 12-stroke first-round lead. But over the next two days that lead dwindled, and nine holes into the final round of the Championships, Duke and Arizona State were tied.
Two holes later, the Blue Devils had built a two-stroke lead. Then, at 3:40 p.m., a horn went off, signaling a stoppage in play because of a threatening storm. The players gathered in the clubhouse, bracing themselves for what was sure to be a thrilling conclusion over the final seven holes.
Dianne Dailey, the chair of the NCAA women's golf committee, announced that if the storm did not stop before daylight disappeared, the final round would be negated, and the Blue Devils would be crowned champions by virtue of their six-stroke, third-round lead.
The rains kept coming, and when the Duke players began playing cards, it was clear that they would soon become national champions. And while they reacted to their title with the expected tears and celebration, there was an air of uneasiness over the way it ended.
"I was happy, but it was a weird feeling," Candy Hannemann said. "I wasn't sure if I should be happy, or just kind of happy. I didn't know what to feel. But after I was with the girls, I realized what we had done. It doesn't matter the way it ended."
Hannemann finished in second place, firing an even-par 213. She finished one stroke behind Arizona State's Grace Park, who has since declared her intentions to turn pro. Park and Hannemann were paired together on the fourth round and, at one point, the two were tied for the lead. But Park was up by one when play was halted.
The Championships represented Hannemann's highest finish since the Lady Tar Heel Invitational, Duke's very first tournament of the year. Hannemann, making her collegiate debut, finished first as the Blue Devils rolled to an amazing 36-stroke win. Some in attendance began wondering aloud if this was the best women's golf team ever.
The question became more legitimate when Duke went on to win its next three tournaments, including the highly competitive Fall Preview, held on the very same course as the Championships.
Duke did not lose until the final tournament before winter. The Blue Devils finished in third, two strokes behind the leader, but even then there was a catch. Both Hannemann and Chuasiriporn were in Chile, competing at the World Amateur Team Championships.
Duke cooled off a bit in the spring, but still won two of its four tournaments before the ACC Championships. The Blue Devils cruised to their fourth straight ACC title, as freshman Beth Bauer and Chuasiriporn finished in first and second, respectively.
All season long the Blue Devils relied on depth. That was especially evident in the Championships. Chuasiriporn struggled with her drive all tournament, finishing in 24th place with a 16-over 229. Things got so bad that midway through the third round she put her driver away and did not use it again for the rest of the round.
But Kalen Anderson had an incredible tournament, finishing in a tie for 12th place with her 13-over par performance. Anderson, usually Duke's fourth golfer, finished second among the Blue Devils and provided her team with a much-needed lift.
Anderson's second round score of 76 was especially important as Bauer struggled mightily on the greens, finishing with an 82. Bauer went straight to the practice green following her round and was visibly upset by her performance.
Bauer bounced back though and fired a 73 the next round to close the tournament. Her turnaround was instrumental in Duke's ability to hold back its competitors.
And although everyone involved in the Championships was disappointed that the tournament ended in a clubhouse and not on the 18th green, Blue Devil coach Dan Brooks said the title was well deserved and the finishing touch on a storybook season.
"This is a great accomplishment for our program and Duke University," Brooks said. "It's a great feeling for me to see this team handle the pressure of being No. 1 most of the year and see the season through to a national championship. It's very rewarding."
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