AUBURN, Wash. -- One year ago, the women's golf team was on the brink of a national title, entering the final round with a four-stroke lead. That team, however, proved unable to deliver a championship.
This season, the Blue Devils will not have the luxury of a lead entering the final two rounds, but will have to make up a six stroke deficit instead.
Only Arizona--which shot 581 between the two rounds--is ahead of Duke, which compiled a two-day team total of 587. The Wildcats entered the second round with an intimidating nine-stroke lead, shooting 285 to open the tournament. While they remain in the lead going into the third day of play, they shot an eight-over-par 296 Wednesday and saw their lead over the Blue Devils dwindle to six.
But the Blue Devils have not had trouble making up strokes in the past, most recently capturing the NCAA East Regional title after a fourth-place effort in the first round.
Leading the effort is sophomore Virada Nirapathpongporn, who posted scores of 68 and 69 in the first two rounds and is currently seven strokes under
"It was cold this morning, so I think it was just hard to swing," said Nirapathpongporn. "I kept telling myself Othere's a lot of holes left.'"
Sophomore Leigh Anne Hardin, four strokes over par, is second for the Blue Devils and 29th overall.
The team is hoping to continue its undefeated record this season, having won all six of its tournaments so far this spring.
While not dissatisfied with his team's play, coach Dan Brooks was surprised the results were not better. "I had a good feeling from the team," he said, adding that the athletes seemed more relaxed before the second round than before the start of the tournament.
Defending individual champion Candy Hannemann fired a six-over-par in the second round to drop to 76th. Her round was marred by a disastrous quadruple-bogie on the 10th hole--the hole the team began on--brought on by two shots out-of-bounds to the left of the fairway.
Hannemann said she did not feel any pressure to defend her title from last year. "It's nationals, and it's a whole new year," she said. "I just came in and tried to do the best I could do.... I'm not going to get pissed off, that's only going to make things worse."
Junior Kristina Engstrom began the tournament with an 11-over-par 83 Tuesday, but seemed to find her rhythm in the second round as she improved by eight strokes, finishing with a two-day total of 158.
"I was both hitting it short and hitting it left and right [Tuesday]," Engstrom said. "So Coach told me to Ojust rip it.'"
Although that strategy may have been effective for a round, the Blue Devils will need to do more if they are to bring home the team's second NCAA championship.
Of the current golfers, only Hannemann played in the first, hosted by Tulsa, in 1999.
The next two days will determine if Duke can bring home its sixth ever national title. for first with Georgia's Summer Sirmons.
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