The women's golf team tees off its quest for a second straight Atlantic Coast Conference title today at the par-72, 5,026 yard Eagle's Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Ga.
The No. 5 Blue Devils won last year's event by nine strokes over second place Wake Forest. In order to get a repeat victory in the three-day event, Duke will have to defeat a top-notch field of three other teams-No. 8 North Carolina, No. 10 Wake Forest and No. 31 Florida State.
"It's going to be a tough competition," Duke coach Dan Brooks said. "There are two other teams in the top 10 that are going to be there-Wake and UNC. They've really been coming around lately. I think we will have to play better than we've been playing if we're going to win this."
The Blue Devils' last outing, the Duke Spring Invitational, featured similar competition, as both North Carolina and Wake Forest played in the tournament. In that event, Duke finished third, seven strokes back of second-place UNC and four shots ahead of fourth-place Wake Forest. Duke has steadily progressed through many of its tournaments this spring, and it believes that was another step in preparation for the ACC Championships.
"Our progress has been a little slow, but it's been there every match," sophomore Jenny Chuasiriporn said. "We're still waiting for it all to come together."
Chuasiriporn enters the tournament as the defending champion and favorite. She finished second in the Duke Spring Invitational, and is currently ranked third in the nation. Last year, she won the ACC title by five strokes, and she feels confident about her chances of repeating.
"I feel really ready going into this tournament," Chuasiriporn said. "I think my chances of winning are pretty good. It's a really tough course. I'll have to stay mentally prepared and tough under the course conditions."
The tournament will feature a high-powered field this year, including four of last year's top five finishers. Chasing right behind Chuasiriporn should be Wake Forest's Laura Philo, last year's runner-up. Philo is currently ranked 11th in the nation and boasts a 74.44 stroke average this spring, the best in the conference.
A number of other golfers could also contend for the title. North Carolina features two players who have won tournaments this spring-No. 14 Kelly McCall at the Lady Gamecock Classic and No. 19 Marcy Newton at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic. The fields for each of those tournaments included Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest. In addition to Philo, Wake Forest is led by Sonia Bauer, who placed fifth at last year's ACCs and eighth at the Duke Spring Invitational, and Alexandra Armas.
"Wake has two really strong players in Laura Philo and Alex Armas," Brooks said. "They've got quite a bit of depth on that team. They've got some good talent, and they haven't played the best golf they can play."
In addition to Chuasiriporn, Duke will round out its five-player squad with junior Alicia Allison, sophomore Amanda Loewen, senior Liz Lepanto and freshman Amie Lehman. Allison, who placed fourth last year, has had an up-and-down spring, with a third place finish in March at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic, but a 27th place showing at the Duke Spring Invitational. Despite her inconsistency, Allison poses a serious threat to finish at the top of the ACC.
"I guess I have as good a shot as anyone of winning it," Allison said. "I haven't been playing well for quite a long time, but hopefully things will come together for me this weekend. I'm pretty confident."
Zach Davis contributed to this story.
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