The men's golf team posted better scores in day two of The Preview tournament in Sunriver, Ore., but the climb remains steep for Duke, which sits in eighth place.
The Blue Devils shot a combined one-over par to finish the day at a ten-over-par 586, 18 strokes behind first-place Georgia. Having started the day tied for ninth place at nine-over par, head coach Rod Myers is very pleased with his team's recovery.
"We really did a better job today," Myers said. "This is no easy golf course, but all across the board today the scores were much improved."
Junior Jake Grodzinsky stood out for the Blue Devils Tuesday, shooting three-under par. He is tied for fourteenth place, eight strokes behind Georgia's Brian Harman.
Senior Nathan Smith, who struggled in yesterday's round to a twelve-over-par 84, made the biggest turnaround in day two, shooting an even-par 72.
"To have an All-American like Nate shoot the kind of lousy round he did [Monday] hurt us," Myers said. "His rhythm was just off. But [Monday] night he made some corrections, worked out the kinks, and really drove the ball well today. It just shows the kind of competitor Nate is."
The par 72, 7,700-yard Crosswater Golf Club played at nearly two-over par Tuesday, slightly easier than Monday's stroke average of 75.23. Yet the course has not been kind to Duke so far and Myers is adamant about the difficulty of the course.
"The greens are much steeper and faster than they are at Duke," Myers said. "The main thing I wanted the guys to do was to learn more about the golf course and adjust to the speed of the greens so that we're comfortable when we come back for the NCAA Championships in June."
Duke's first-round leader, sophomore Michael Schachner, who opened the contest with a one-under-par 71, did not fare as well Tuesday, shooting a five-over-par 77.
The Preview concludes Wednesday and Myers said he is hopeful about today's round.
"I think if we can get something going early and pass a few teams, we'll be in good shape," Myers said. "Every week we'll aim to be a little better, but I know we haven't played our best yet."
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