After a surge in Monday's second round, the men's golf team is tied for the top spot on the leaderboard at the Duke Golf Open. The Blue Devils' six-over-par score of 582 has them tied with Michigan State for the lead after 36 holes at the Duke Golf Club.
Monday's damp conditions, combined with the Duke Golf Club's degree of difficulty, had a noticeable impact upon all of the 14 teams playing.
None of the teams broke par for the day, and almost all of the individual scores were surprisingly high.
The day before only four individual golfers had snuck under par, with one of the most outstanding performances belonging to Duke's Mike Castleforte. Castleforte finished the first round with a 69, a score that put him in second place, two strokes off Patrick Nagle of Illinois, the leader.
But while Nagle combusted during the second round, Castleforte only got better. The Ohio native turned in a 67 Monday, putting him at eight under par. Castleforte has a five-stroke lead on his nearest competitor, Oliver Wilson of Augusta State.
Castleforte credits his success to a mixture of conservative play and risk-taking.
"My initial strategy was just to make the pars and let the birdies happen," he said, "but I got aggressive at the end of the first round."
His aggression certainly paid off. The highlight of Castleforte's tournament was on the 14th hole of the first round, when he holed a wedge shot for eagle
"On any day, this course is tough," said sophomore David French, "with weather like today's, it's near impossible. But Mike definitely showed it could be done."
Duke's finish paralleled Castleforte's as the Blue Devils finished the first round in third place, behind Michigan State and the Illini. After a rough start a four-under-par 284 in the second round netted Duke a 582 on the day and a share of the lead.
"I was disappointed with the first round," said sophomore Tom Lefebvre, as the final players were coming in. "For a team like us, 298 is just no good. But it looks like we're playing well now."
Castleforte's blazing performance was not the only bright spot for the Blue Devils, as the entire team played well during the second round.
Leif Olson logged a two over par 146 on the day, highlighted by a 70 during the second round.
Tom Lefebvre turned in a 149, with an even par 72 on the latter round. Ryan Blaum scored a 151 on the day, and Rob Beasley earned a 152. All five Blue Devil starters improved their scores in the second round.
Duke goes into tomorrow's final round with confidence and a share of the lead.
"We can play a lot better tomorrow," said Castleforte, "we've got to have the same attitude we did today: play for pars unless we need the birdies. And if we need the birdies, we can probably get those, too."
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