Duke concludes its fall schedule this weekend against some of the nation’s top programs in the NCAA Fall Preview at the 6,325-yard, par-72 Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.
The Blue Devils will not only face the longest course they’ve played on all fall, but the top 17 teams in the nation, with the exception of No. 8 Florida. Duke will tee off Friday morning with playing partners No. 9 Denver and No. 12 Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils look to bounce back from a poor showing at the Tar Heel Invitational earlier in October, where they finished in seventh place. The only bright spot was freshman Courtney Ellenbogen, who placed fourth overall for her best collegiate result. Ellenbogen’s finish was the team’s only top ten individual performance this fall.
With such a young team, the Blue Devils have had a bumpy road thus far. However, head coach Dan Brooks is pleased with his squad’s progress.
“It’s all been good as far as development goes,” Brooks said. “We have people working hard and perfecting areas that we need to zero in on.”
This weekend, Duke will roll out a young lineup anchored by senior Alison Whitaker and junior Kim Donovan. Freshmen Lindy Duncan and Stacey Kim will be competing in their fourth tournament for the Blue Devils, while it will be Ellenbogen’s third.
The Preview is especially important to the fall schedule because it will be the Blue Devils only chance to compete at this spring’s NCAA Championship course. Duke’s first impressions were good, as it practiced Thursday morning under a perfect Wilmington sky.
“We couldn’t ask for better conditions,” Brooks said. “The greens are just really, really good.”
Brooks believes his group will need to concentrate most during the tournament when putting on those greens.
“If you’re on rough greens sometimes it doesn’t reward the best putters,” Brooks said. “Good putters will be rewarded in this tournament.”
While Brooks’s main focus during the fall is admittedly not on winning—instead, Brooks has concentrated on developing the games of his newest players—he understands the importance of gaining momentum before advancing to the spring campaign.
“Hopefully the numbers will come,” Brooks said. “If not, we’re not going to be devastated by that, but it would be really nice to go out with a win here.”
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