After getting punched in the mouth by one of the most challenging college courses in the country early in the tournament, the Blue Devils were unable to recover to salvage a national championship bid.
No. 19 Duke tied for eighth at the Stillwater, Okla., NCAA regional Monday through Wednesday, finishing with a three-day total of 60 over par after a slow start at Karsten Creek Golf Club. The Blue Devils opened the event with four of their five players shooting 82 or higher, leading to a first-day score of 33 over par that ultimately prevented the team from recording the top-five finish it needed to qualify for the NCAA championship for the second straight year.
Duke sat in 13th place out of 14 teams after Monday's opening round, but moved four spots up the leaderboard in the final round by carding a five-over-par round.
The Blue Devils finished 14 strokes out of fifth place and 53 shots behind No. 8 Oklahoma State, which took advantage of its home course advantage to win by 19 strokes. No. 20 Oklahoma, No. 5 Clemson, Louisville and Purdue also clinched spots at the national championship.
Despite the slow start, Duke head coach Jamie Green credited his team for battling on the final day of its season.
“We’re so proud of these guys,” Green told GoDuke.com. “I don’t know if there was a team that made more birdies out there today. We made 16 of them. We had a number of clutch birdies near the turn, and it was within our sights. The guys absolutely gave it everything they had."
Freshman Alex Smalley paced the Blue Devils all week, opening the tournament with a two-over-par 74 that put him in a tie for 16th. Smalley shot 79 Tuesday but rebounded with another 74 on the final day to finish 21st at his first NCAA regional.
“Alex Smalley played terrific golf for us this spring,” Green said. “To be the low man for us out here as a freshman is special. We’re excited to see what he has ahead of him.”
Sophomores Adam Wood and Jake Shuman rebounded after disappointing starts to finish in the top 40 individually.
Wood, who led Duke in scoring average this season, shot 83 Monday followed by 78 Tuesday but charged up the leaderboard with a final-round 72, playing his final 10 holes at three under par.
Shuman carried a streak of three top-three finishes into the regional but struggled in the opening round, posting an 82. The Needham, Mass., native bounced back with rounds of 75 and 76 to tie with Wood in 38th place.
Junior Max Greyserman carded the best round of the week for the Blue Devils Wednesday, firing a one-under-par 71 after opening with rounds of 85 and 79 to finish tied for 42nd.
In his first NCAA regional competing for Duke, Loyola transfer Matt Oshrine tied for 44th with rounds of 82, 78 and 76.
Much of the field struggled with the conditions in Stillwater, with the average score for the tournament more than six strokes over par at 78.2.
The Blue Devils conclude the season with three wins and nine top-five finishes in 12 events, and will return their entire five-man lineup next season.
“We didn’t get what we needed to make it through, but we just focused on putting up red numbers,” Green said. “I’m just so proud of every one of them. They fought so hard to dig their way out [Wednesday], but it was always an uphill climb.”
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