Blue Devils Come Up Short at NCAA Regionals - Duke University - GoDuke.com

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Duke women's golf team saw its 2021-22 season come to an end on Wednesday at the NCAA Franklin Regional. The Blue Devils carded a 2-over-par, 290, and finished one stroke back of the top-four advancing teams, after 54 holes at the 6,406-yard, Par-72 Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.

Vanderbilt (848), Alabama (856), Wake Forest (861) and Texas A&M (867) moved on to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Blue Devils posted rounds of 287, 291 and 290 for an 868.

This marks the first time since 2011 that Duke will not be a team participant in the NCAA Championship and the first time since 1997 the Blue Devils will not have at least an individual playing in the championship. Lindy Duncan represented Duke as an individual in 2011.

"It feels a little strange right now, because even though regionals is tough you just sort of have a momentum and feel like you are going to keep on going," said Duke head coach Dan Brooks. "We are pretty used to that. It feels a little strange that we won't be at the championship."

Duke entered the final day of action in third place, but both Wake Forest and Texas A&M turned in under-par rounds to move ahead of the Blue Devils. The Demon Deacons and Aggies went out earlier in the morning on Wednesday and were hot from the start. In the end, Duke mounted a late rally with six birdies over its final five holes, but came up one shot short in the end.

"We were a steady golf team and just got beat by five-under," said Brooks. "It is just the way it is."

The Blue Devils were led by junior Erica Shepherd and sophomore Anne Chen, who both finished tied for 11th with a 2-under, 214.

Shepherd, a product of Greenwood, Ind., opened her day with eight straight pars, before missing the green on No. 9 and suffering a bogey. She collected her first birdie of the day on No. 12 to get back to even for the day and then rolled in a four-foot birdie on No. 17 to get under par. Shepherd missed a 22-foot birdie attempt on the final hole to finish with a 71 and was 2-under-par over her final nine holes. She closed the season with five straight rounds of even or under par and a total of 12 on the year.

Over the first nine holes for Chen, she had seven pars and two bogeys to make the turn at 2-over-par, 38. After four more pars, Chen got hot with back-to-back birdies on No. 14 and No. 15 to return to even for the day. She then hit her tee shot on the par-3 16th into the water and had a bogey, but closed with back-to-back pars to finish with a 73. Chen, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, hit 15 greens, 11 fairways and rolled 34 putts.

Junior Phoebe Brinker featured Duke's best start of the day as she rolled in birdies on No. 1 and No. 4 to get to 2-under-par. She had an excellent up-and-down for par on No. 2 to keep her excellent start going. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., closed the front nine with three pars and two bogeys to make the turn with an even-par, 36. She connected on her third birdie of the day on No. 11 to get back to the red, but had a bogey on No. 14. Brinker closed with a par on No. 15, birdie on No. 16, 3-putt bogey on No. 17 and a par on No. 18 to finish with a 73. She finished tied for 21st with a 219.

After a tough start to her final round, freshman Rylie Heflin settled down to play her final 15 holes at 1-under-par. She concluded her first NCAA Regional tied for 30th with a 221. Heflin, who hails from Avondale, Pa., notched her first birdie of the day on the ninth as she hit her 8-iron from 145 yards to three feet. She collected a key sand save for par on No. 12 and then finished strong with a birdie on No. 18. Heflin hit her 54-degree wedge from 85 yards to five feet and sank the putt.

Seeing action in her first NCAA Regional as well, junior Megan Furtney tied for 45th with a 227. On the final day, she made the turn at 2-over-par, 38, with a birdie on the 506-yard, par-5 seventh. Furtney, a product of St. Charles, Ill., sank a 15-foot up-hill putt for birdie. She closed the day with birdie as well on No. 18 as she went for the par-5 green in two with her 2-hybrid. Furtney wound up in the rough near the green and was able to get up-and-down for birdie.

Duke has been a staple at the NCAA Championships under the direction of Brooks. In his 38 seasons at the helm, the Blue Devils competed at nationals in 31 out of the 37 times the championship has been contested. The 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Duke had been a part of 22 out of the last 23 NCAA Championships under Brooks.

The Blue Devils will return their entire roster for the 2022-23 campaign, after sending a squad to NCAAs without a senior for only the second time under Brooks.

#GoDuke

Duke Results
T9 T11 Erica Shepherd Duke 71   72 71       214 -2
T6 T11 Anne Chen Duke 71   70 73       214 -2
T20 T21 Phoebe Brinker Duke 73   74 72       219 +3
T20 T30 Rylie Heflin Duke 72   75 74       221 +5
T36 T45 Megan Furtney Duke 74   76 77       227 +11

1 2 3 Team Scores
3 1 1 Vanderbilt 288 281 279       848 -16
T1 2 2 Alabama 287 287 282       856 -8
5 4 3 Wake Forest 292 287 282       861 -3
4 5 4 Texas A&M 289 295 283       867 +3
T1 3 5 Duke 287 291 290       868 +4
T6 6 6 UTSA 293 294 288       875 +11
9 T9 7 Brigham Young 298 301 280       879 +15
T6 8 8 Oregon State 293 303 287       883 +19
T10 7 9 Augusta 300 293 298       891 +27
T10 11 10 Kent State 300 301 295       896 +32
8 T9 11 Boston University 297 302 301       900 +36
12 12 12 Austin Peay State 311 311 308       930 +66

Start Finish Player Team Scores
2 1 Polly Mack Alabama 65   73 66       204 -12
T3 T2 Rachel Kuehn Wake Forest 70   70 68       208 -8
1 T2 Jennie Park Texas A&M 69   66 73       208 -8
T14 T4 Camryn Carreon UTSA 74   70 67       211 -5
T9 T4 Auston Kim Vanderbilt 72   71 68       211 -5
T6 T4 Benedetta Moresco Alabama 73   68 70       211 -5
T9 T7 Carolina Lopez-Chacarra Wake Forest 72   71 69       212 -4
8 T7 Jayna Choi Vanderbilt 71   71 70       212 -4
T3 T9 Natalia Yoko Augusta 72   68 73       213 -3
T3 T9 Tess Davenport Vanderbilt 71   69 73       213 -3
T30 T11 Zoe Slaughter Texas A&M 73   76 65       214 -2
T9 T11 Erica Shepherd Duke 71   72 71       214 -2
T6 T11 Anne Chen Duke 71   70 73       214 -2
T14 14 Napabhach Boon-In Augusta 72   72 71       215 -1
T20 T15 Chayse Gomez Oregon State 72   75 69       216 E
17 T15 Hollie Muse * East Tennessee St. 66   79 71       216 E
T14 T15 Celina Sattelkau Vanderbilt 74   70 72       216 E
T9 T15 Emily Price Kent State 72   71 73       216 E
T25 19 Allysha Mae Mateo Brigham Young 74   74 69       217 +1
T20 20 Hannah Holzmann UTSA 72   75 71       218 +2
T18 T21 Ana Gonzalez UTSA 73   73 73       219 +3
T36 T21 Lila Galeai Brigham Young 73   77 69       219 +3
T18 T21 Dorota Zalewska * Chattanooga 76   70 73       219 +3
T36 T21 Louise Yu Vanderbilt 79   71 69       219 +3
T20 T21 Phoebe Brinker Duke 73   74 72       219 +3
T9 T21 FLair Kuan Boston University 70   73 76       219 +3
T30 T27 Mimi Rhodes Wake Forest 76   73 71       220 +4
T20 T27 Ellie Slama Oregon State 73   74 73       220 +4
T25 T27 Christy Chen Boston University 77   71 72       220 +4
T42 T30 Annick Haczkiewicz Brigham Young 75   76 70       221 +5
T36 T30 Tara Bettle * UNCG 77   73 71       221 +5
T20 T30 Rylie Heflin Duke 72   75 74       221 +5
T42 T33 Adela Cernousek Texas A&M 73   78 71       222 +6
T36 T33 Mikayla Bardwell * Tennessee 74   76 72       222 +6
T30 T33 Emilie Overas Alabama 73   76 73       222 +6
T51 T36 Kelsey Webster Oregon State 77   77 69       223 +7
T25 T36 Lauren Walsh Wake Forest 75   73 75       223 +7
T25 T36 Payton Carter * Murray State 77   71 75       223 +7
T30 T36 Isabella van der Biest Alabama 78   71 74       223 +7
48 T40 Kerstin Fotu Brigham Young 78   74 72       224 +8
T25 T40 Madde Sund Oregon State 71   77 76       224 +8
T42 T40 Angelica Moresco Alabama 76   75 73       224 +8
T30 T40 Chloe Salort Kent State 73   76 75       224 +8
T42 44 Virunpat Olankitkunchai Wake Forest 75   76 74       225 +9
T49 T45 Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio Texas A&M 74   79 74       227 +11
T36 T45 Nicole Polivchak UTSA 74   76 77       227 +11
T36 T45 Megan Furtney Duke 74   76 77       227 +11
T42 T48 Hunter Nugent UTSA 74   77 77       228 +12
T49 T48 Hanako Kawasaki Boston University 74   79 75       228 +12
T42 50 Chloe Holder Augusta 75   76 78       229 +13
T60 51 Jennifer Gu Kent State 81   77 72       230 +14
T55 52 Noramol Nuchsila Kent State 79   77 75       231 +15
T30 T53 Hailee Cooper Texas A&M 74   75 83       232 +16
T55 T53 Taylor Dedmen Austin Peay State 78   78 76       232 +16
T58 T55 Adeline Anderson Brigham Young 76   81 76       233 +17
54 T55 Mayka Hoogeboom Kent State 76   79 78       233 +17
T51 T55 Kaley Campbell Austin Peay State 75   79 79       233 +17
T60 58 Kennedy Carroll Augusta 81   77 76       234 +18
T60 59 Erica Scutt Austin Peay State 82   76 77       235 +19
63 60 Issy Taylor Oregon State 79   81 76       236 +20
T51 61 Riley Cooper Austin Peay State 76   78 84       238 +22
T58 62 Annie Kim * Houston 82   75 82       239 +23
64 63 Nicole Page Augusta 82   79 79       240 +24
66 T64 Shelby Darnell Austin Peay State 87   79 76       242 +26
65 T64 Victoria Takai Boston University 85   79 78       242 +26
T55 - Alice Fan Boston University 76   80 D       -     -