With the spring season drawing to a close, the men's golf team is playing its best golf of the year.
This weekend, the Blue Devils finished in a tie for fifth place at The Intercollegiate with a team total of 855, nine-under par. The tournament was played at the 7,057-yard, par-72 Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill.
Wake Forest won the event by one stroke over N.C. State. The Demon Deacons' Bill Haas captured medalist honors with a three-round total of 203, 13-under par.
For the second consecutive week, Duke shot under par and fired its lowest team score of the season.
"We weren't quite there in the first round," coach Rod Myers said. "But the second and third rounds were very good. We're still in the process of getting better every week. I feel really good going into next week's ACC championships. We can be contenders if we put all the pieces together."
The Blue Devils were led this week by junior Leif Olson, who fired three solid rounds of 69-71-68=208, to finish in a tie for fifth place at eight-under par. The Golden, Colo., native played solid all three days and could still have shot lower. In the second round, Olson made a triple-bogey on the 10th hole, but recovered to shoot a one-under 71.
"Leif really played solid all three rounds," Myers said. "He had an excellent mental attitude on the course. If he continues to play this way, I think he has a great chance to compete with the top golfers at next week's ACCs."
Olson's fifth-place finish was the best for a Blue Devil this year.
Senior Brandon LaCroix continued his solid play from last week, shooting rounds of 74-70-71=215, to finish tied for 20th place at one-under par. LaCroix, like Olson, suffered a triple-bogey in his second round, but what was most heart-breaking was his three-putt double-bogey on his last hole of the final round. A par would have given Duke sole possession of fourth place.
Sophomore Mike Castleforte and Rob Beasley continued to give Duke strong support from the bottom of the Blue Devil lineup. Castleforte fired rounds of 73-71-72=216, to finish at even par and tied for 24th place. Beasley shot two 74s in the first and third rounds and a two-under 70 in the second to finish in a tie for 32nd place at two-over par.
"Rob brought a lot of energy with him," Myers said. "He was a great junior player and he has brought that confidence and attitude to the lineup. He was in a real positive flow on the course. He never got down on himself and just went around the course doing his business."
The lone disappointment of the weekend was the first round play of senior Matt Krauss. After playing a near- flawless practice round, Krauss had a difficult first round, shooting an 83. He rebounded, however, to play one-under golf over the next two rounds.
"Matt never got in sync in the first round," Myers said. "I still believe that he is ready to break out."
Next week the Blue Devils play their final tune-up before the NCAA regionals at the ACC championships at the Old North State Club in Badin Lake, N.C.
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