Before turning in their scorecards at the end of the third round of the NCAA East Regional, the Blue Devils probably could not have expected the name at the top-Michael Quagliano.
The junior, who only competed in one of six tournaments this spring prior to heading to Alpharetta, Ga. for regional play, was not even on the roster for the ACC championship.
But Quagliano finished with an even-par 216 for the tournament, pacing Duke to its sixth-place finish and its fourth berth into the NCAA championship in the past five years.
"Michael Quagliano played very well today and was really consistent the whole tournament," interim head coach Brad Sparling said. "After being out with his injury this spring, to come back and play like he did was great for the team."
The Blue Devils fired a collective 10-over 874 over three rounds-19 strokes back of winner and top-ranked Georgia but within one stroke of fifth place and seven of the three-way tie for second.
After firing a 1-under 71 in the final round, Quagliano found himself in 13th place, his best finish since 2004.
Fellow junior Michael Schachner-who has been one of Duke's most consistent performers this year-continued to be a stabilizing force for Duke, putting up a 2-over 218 to finish in 17th place.
Schachner did not card any shot worse than a bogey in his three rounds of tournament play.
Clark Klaasen, Jake Grodzinsky and Adam Long rounded out the Blue Devil roster, finishing in 32nd, 46th and 50th, respectively.
Duke looks to build upon its solid performance in the regional when it travels to The Golden Horseshoe in Richmond, Va.
"We are excited to be going to the NCAA Championship," interim head Sparling said. "The guys battled all three days and we beat a lot of good teams. I could not be more proud of them."
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