The top-seeded women’s golf team returned to a familiar position last weekend.
After two uncharacteristic loses to open the spring schedule, the Blue Devils eked out a one-stoke victory in the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas.
“It was good to get a win,” head coach Dan Brooks said. “I’ve seen a lot of hard work from my players this spring, and they just weren’t getting the results they were used to. This team likes to win, and this win was good for their spirits.”
Duke opened the final round March 13 one stoke behind tournament-leader Arkansas and two strokes ahead of Oklahoma State. With the Razorbacks turning in a 28-over-par performance and dropping to fifth, the Cowboys and Blue Devils battled for the title down the stretch.
Anna Grzebien, who finished 54th in the team’s last event, elevated her game for the entire tournament and led Duke to its first spring championship. Firing her tournament-best, two-over-par 74 Sunday, the sophomore finished the event in second, equaling her previous top collegiate finish.
“Anna really showed that nothing will get her down,” Brooks said. “There were difficult conditions all weekend, and she displayed lots of patience.”
The tournament was held at the newly constructed University of Texas Golf Club, and in addition to the heavy winds that gusted all weekend, the golfers had to cope with new greens that Brooks said were especially firm and difficult to read.
Despite the conditions, three Blue Devils finished in the top 10 and Duke’s fourth golfer came in 14th. The trio of Grzebien, Liz Janangelo and Brittany Lang played consistent golf throughout the tournament, scoring for the Blue Devils during all three rounds of play.
“Everybody on the team made a contribution,” Brooks said. “The conditions were extremely difficult, but we just kept our composure and wore the competition down.”
Janangelo, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, finished in the seventh position, and Lady Gator Invitational champion Lang snuck into the 10th position with her one-over round Sunday. Lang’s final round was the best for any Blue Devil on the weekend, and a birdie on her third-to-last hole sealed the victory.
The team’s lone senior, Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh, finished 14th, but struggled in her first round. Freshman Jennifer Pandolfi, however, fired a solid seven-over-par 79 in the opener and made her contribution to the team’s narrow victory.
“It feels really good to get a win,” Brooks said. “I think this bodes really well for the rest of our season.”
Duke has two more weeks off before it competes in the Bryan National Collegiate in nearby Browns Summit, N.C.
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