For the fourth straight tournament to start the season, the Blue Devils jumped out to the lead at the conclusion of the first round. However, Duke looked doomed to drop another early lead, like it had in its first two competitions, falling to fourth following the second round.
This time around, though, the Blue Devils were hot on the final 18 and rallied to secure its second consecutive victory, capturing the Landfall Tradition at Landfall Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C.
No. 4 Duke carded a tournament-low 3-under-285 Sunday to jump Saturday-leader, No. 8 Arkansas and finish at 15-over-879, two strokes better than No. 17 South Carolina and three strokes clear of the Razorbacks. The Blue Devils late charge featured a 6-under-par performance over the final six holes and senior Virginia Elena Carta and freshman Gina Kim tying for the individual title at even-par-216.
“It is such an honor to win this tournament,” Carta told GoDuke.com. “It has been a very tough fall for me and to be able to finish it off with two team wins and an individual win means a lot. I am very proud of our freshman, Gina, who really deserved a win and it is an honor for me to share it with her. She works as hard as anyone I have seen and is such a great teammate.”
The three-day tournament started with a rain-shortened round Friday, leading to the conclusion of the first round and entirety of the second round taking place on Saturday. At the end of the first 18, Duke held a two stroke lead over No. 14 Wake Forest, following a nine-over 297.
However, another 297 performance in the second round saw some of the field jump the Blue Devils, who sat at 18-over-594 and in fourth place. Arkansas held a nine-stroke advantage over Duke and had leads of six and eight strokes over the Gamecocks and No. 2 Virginia, respectively.
Nonetheless, the Blue Devils as a team made their run up the leaderboard Sunday, erasing the nine-stroke deficit. Meanwhile, Carta and Kim, who were three and six strokes behind Virunpat Olankitkunchai for the individual title, respectively, also found themselves at the top, capping an impressive victory.
Carta recorded her second career individual victory—winning the NCAA individual title as a freshman in a record fashion—carding three straight rounds of 72. Carta played steady golf throughout, never dipping below or above one stroke away from even, recording 39 pars over the 54 holes.
Kim overcame a 2-over-74 start by carding rounds of 73 and 69 to tie her teammate at the top at even-par. The freshman’s final round featured six birdies, including three over the final four holes to help propel the Chapel Hill native to the individual title.
Miranda Wang was the next best finisher for the Blue Devils, using a birdie on her final hole for a top-15 finish at 6-over. Wang played the final three holes of her first round at 2-over, leading to a 75 after the first 18. A double-bogey around the middle of the second round left her at 2-over-74 for the day, before the sophomore shaved off another stroke on Sunday en-route to a 73.
Jaravee Boonchant snuck into the top-25 with a tie for 24th at nine-over following an eagle on her final hole. The sophomore started slowly, with rounds of 76 and 78 to open the tournament. However, the Thailand native only had two bogeys against a birdie and the eagle in her final round, leading to a 1-under-71 on the final day, ending the tournament on a positive note
Ana Belac rounded out the team competitors for Duke, seeing large scores spot her scorecard, derailing otherwise solid play. Four double-bogeys over the first two rounds and a triple-bogey in the final round left the junior at 16-over (77-78-77), and tied for 58th.
Competing as an individual, Hannah O’ Sullivan could not find the red, carding just three birdies over the 54 holes. The sophomore shot 86-80-82 over the three rounds, leaving her at 32-over and tied for 90th.
The victory concludes the Blue Devils fall slate—which saw the team record three top-five finishes and two victories. Duke will not return to competitive action until February, when it will compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship in New Orleans.
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