The NCAA Regional tournament and the Championships are no stranger to the men's golf team. But it's been a while since Duke has made it near the pinnacle of the game, with the program's highest finish ever coming in 1947 when the Blue Devils placed second. In addition, the men's golfers have not made it past the Regionals since 1999. The best Duke has ever done at the Regional level was in 1997, when the Blue Devils came in fourth place.
Duke may struggle to reverse this trend beginning today at Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala., where they are seeded thirteenth in the East Region. Competition will be stiff for Duke, especially considering the team's recent fifth-place finish at the ACC Championships.
Leading the way for Duke will be freshman Ryan Blaum, recently awarded for his stellar debut season with ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Blaum, who hails from Coral Gables, Fla., is Duke's top scorer with an average of 72.6, and has placed in the top-10 and top-20 more than any of his teammates. Thus far, Blaum's crowning achievement came at the Mercedes Benz Collegiate Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where he tied for medalist honors with a 211.
The Blue Devils remain hopeful that they can qualify for the NCAA Championships based on their successful fall season where they won The Nelson golf tournament and earned a No. 6 national ranking. At the time, senior Leif Olson was ranked 28th nationally, and Blaum was 55th. In addition, the Blue Devils will rely on senior Leif Olson, who was Duke's best scorer at the ACC Championships where he placed 12th.
Duke is currently ranked No. 29 in America according to a compilation on golfstats.com.
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