Limping home, favored Duke finally falls at NCAAs

OPELIKA, Ala. -- History was not to be repeated for the No. 1 Duke women's golf team at the 2004 NCAA Championship.

Unlike their first appearance on the Grand National Lakes Course for the NCAA Fall Preview, the Blue Devils did not earn a victory in a final one-hole playoff.

      

  Nor were the Duke golfers able to come back as they did in 2002, carding five birdies over the final three holes to win the national title.

      

  Instead, the top-ranked team surrendered a fairy-tale ending to an incredible season to the Bruins and Cowgirls. No. 2 UCLA clinched its second NCAA title with a four-under-par performance while No. 10 Oklahoma State finished in the runner-up position at one-under. The Blue Devils ended in third.

      

  "We shot a seven-over for the tournament, which is not our best golf," head coach Dan Brooks said. "However, you have to give UCLA and Oklahoma State credit because they came out and both played a really great tournament."

      

  Friday's delay seemed to play to the Blue Devils' advantage, giving them time to refocus before attempting to fit in a few more holes on the evening. The team was able to pick up four shots to pull within three of UCLA upon the resuming of play.

      

  However, while the team gained, the misty air and late evening sky hurt the individual golfers. On the ninth hole, Liz Janangelo drove the ball against a tree and had to use a stroke just to reposition the ball. Janangelo, who came off the hole noting that it was too dark to see, ended up with a double bogey, negating her eagle on an earlier par five.

      

  With the remaining Blue Devils around the midway points of their rounds, the officials again stopped play. Saturday, Janangelo returned to characteristic play, carding three straight birdies to end her round at one under par.

      

  "[The night] was a pretty big break for us," said Janangelo, who was named the National Golf Coaches Association National Player of the Year after the tournament and ended the year as the No. 1 player in the nation. "We had some momentum going. You also have to think that UCLA had to go home and sleep on what was happening."

      

  After the overnight delay especially did not help Leigh Anne Hardin. Remaining at even through the first nine holes of the final round, Hardin slipped from par to six-over-par in the span of just three holes on the back nine. That triple bogey-bogey-double bogey sequence was capped by a drive into the water at the 15th hole.

      

  With Hardin ending at seven-over-par, Anna Grzebien's five-over score counted toward the team total. Grzebien had a difficult front nine with seven bogeys but was able to drop her score by two strokes after the turn.

      

  Duke's other freshman, Brittany Lang, also had an inconsistent round, carding six bogeys. Her four birdies all came on the back nine. During the tournament, Lang was unable to duplicate her NCAA Fall Preview round of 67, which stands as the second lowest women's collegiate round on the course. Still, Lang was named National Golf Coaches Association Freshman of the Year after finishing her first season ranked fourth in the nation.

      

  UCLA and Oklahoma State had a leader at --8 and --9, respectively, but Duke's score relied much more on team balance. Virada Nirapathpongporn paced the Blue Devils, and the former NCAA Champion concluded her collegiate career in a sixth-place tie at one-under-par.

      

  "I could not get anything going this week," Nirapathpongporn said. "That was the story for our entire team. It is unfortunate that it happened to all of us at the same time. We have had better days, but that is just the way these things go."

      

  Nirapathpongporn will make her professional debut this weekend on the FUTURES Tour at the New Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville, Ind.

      

  But while Nirapathpongporn and Hardin have professional golf in their futures, the remaining Blue Devils are looking ahead to next season.

"You never know," Janangelo said. "There is always next year."