After a fall season defined by inconsistency, as three freshmen adjusted into starting roles, Duke found its rhythm over the weekend, winning the NCAA Fall Preview in Wilmington, N.C. The No. 15 Blue Devils shot a 17-over 881, one stroke better than No. 7 UCLA and No. 3 Auburn.
The Blue Devils sat tied for fourth entering Sunday’s round, two strokes out of second place but ten strokes behind the leading Bruins. Paced by senior Alison Whitaker’s 3-under 69, Duke carded an even-par 288 to stun UCLA. In victory, the Blue Devils also earned three top-20 individual finishes, and all five members placed in the top 50.
The win came at the Country Club of Landfall, the site of the 2010 NCAA Championships in May.
Whitaker tied for fifth place with a 1-over 217, followed by freshmen Stacey Kim and Lindy Duncan in ties for 12th and 20th, respectively. Fellow freshman Courtney Ellenbogen finished in a tie for 36th, and Kim Donovan tied for 50th.
“We got great leadership from Alison Whitaker,” Duke head coach Dan Brooks said. “I thought everybody was poised; they seemed to have just a little more patience today.”
Duncan and Kim pushed the Blue Devils toward the front of the pack on Day One, shooting rounds of 1-under and even par, respectively. UCLA made a hard charge Saturday morning with a 2-over 290, taking an eight-stroke lead. However, the Blue Devils took advantage of the window of opportunity left by the Bruins’ 11-over score on the tournament’s final day, earning an important morale boost heading into the offseason.
“My hope is that people aren’t undaunted by a ten-stroke deficit, and they believe in the possibilities and believe in themselves,” Brooks said. “That seemed to be what we did.”
This victory leaves Duke hopeful that it has emerged from its transition period. However, Brooks remains wary of the dangers of overconfidence.
“An awful lot of things are good and then the things that aren’t so good really stand out,” Brooks said. “A win can really show you how to be even better.”
The Blue Devils now have a four-month break before their spring season begins in February, allowing them to work out some of the issues that arose this weekend.
However, Whitaker believes that her team’s most important adjustments may not be related to physical skills.
“We’ve let ourselves down over the last couple of tournaments,” Whitaker said. “We got a little overemotional and didn’t use our anger to our advantage. Today, we really just went out there and stayed calm and kept believing in ourselves.”
This weekend will serve as an enormous confidence builder for Duke throughout winter practice, helping ease the memory of its uncharacteristic performances in the early season.
“It’s the best tournament you can possibly win going into Nationals,” Whitaker said. “It’s good to make some good memories out on the golf course that you’re going to be playing later next May.”
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