Some teams ease into their season by scheduling easier contests early in the year—but Duke did not.
In their first tournament of the season, the No. 12 Blue Devils faced a field of 15 that featured seven top-25 teams. Duke struggled, finishing 13th at the Fighting Illini Invitational in Olympia Fields, Ill.
The tournament was hosted by Illinois at Olympia Fields Country Club, a challenging par-70 layout and the site of the 2003 U.S. Open.
“When you go to an event that is run this well, on this good of a golf course, with this strong of field, you really can’t show up with your B-minus game,” head coach Jamie Green said. “Unfortunately, if you do, you are not going to finish well within the field.”
Senior Spencer Anderson led the Blue Devils with a three-day total of 216, and finished tied for 11th at six-over par. After starting with a 76 on Friday, Anderson fired a four-under 66 on Saturday, which tied him for the lowest round of the tournament. He then put up a 74 in the rain on the final day.
Anderson worked on his mental game over the summer—something his coach believed helped him on the tight track at Olympia Fields.
“It really did take every part of your game, not just the physical, [to play well at Olympia Fields],” Green said.
Anderson noted that despite the challenging nature of the course, good shots would be rewarded.
“Although [the course] was difficult,” Anderson said, “it was fair.”
Green praised the demanding set-up of the golf course, noting that the staff at Olympia Fields used the same pin positions for this tournament that they used during the 2003 U.S. Open. “The staff here does the best it possibly can to get [the course] close to U.S. Open condition,” Green said. “That means the rough is pretty darn thick and the greens are pretty quick.”
The difficulty of the course yielded higher scores throughout the field, and the only two individuals to finish under par after 54 holes were Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers and Texas’ Dylan Fritelli, the tournament medalist and runner-up, respectively. Duke junior Brinson Paolini, who finished tied for 55th, and Anderson were the only Blue Devils to post a round under par—he shot a one-under 69 on Friday.
Stanford ran away from the field in capturing the team title, finishing at nine-over par with a team total of 849. Runner-up Auburn finished 16 strokes behind the Cardinal and Duke’s total left them 44 strokes off the lead.
The Blue Devils host their next tournament, the Rod Myers Invitational on Oct. 1-2, at the Washington Duke Inn golf course. Despite the team’s poor showing this weekend, Green and his players remain confident.
“We’ll be competitive,” Green said. “I have no doubt about that.”
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