Piloted by a second-place performance by freshman Ryan Blaum, the Blue Devil men's golf team finished in ninth place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach Florida.
Blaum was defeated by Clemson's D.J. Trahan, last year's collegiate player of the year, in the second playoff hole.
"I think we were a little rusty in the first tournament of the year," junior Mike Castleforte said. "All three freshmen played really solid for us. We didn't finish as well as we would have liked, but it was something to build on."
Coming into yesterday's final round, Dustin Bray of the University of Carolina held the 36-hole lead. Blaum stood seven strokes behind, while the Tigers' Trahan was positioned eight strokes back.
After Blaum and Trahan shot 68 and 67 respectively in their final rounds, they were joined by Bray tied at 211 following 54 holes.
Blaum started the day from so far back, said he was unaware that he remained in contention for the individual crown and that he was just out there trying to improve his team's standing.
"I just played solid all three rounds," Blaum said. "Doing well against arguably one of the best fields was a big boost for me."
Bray was eliminated on the first playoff hole when he failed to match birdies by Blaum and Trahan, who sank a dramatic 25-foot putt.
On the next hole, Trahan fired his approach shot to within five feet of the cup and sank his eagle putt to earn the individual title.
"I didn't feel any pressure to win but everyone gets jitters when you are in a situation like that," Blaum said. "I really enjoy the pressure situation, it was a lot of fun and it was a great experience."
Blaum's teammates has tremendous confidence in him as he battled an experienced golfer in the playoff.
"The pressure didn't seem to affect him at all," Castleforte said. "He played outstanding. The experience should help him the rest of the season."
On the heels of Blaum's strong final round, the Blue Devils improved on their 11th place standing after 36 holes. Nathan Smith fired a 75 on Tuesday to finish the event in a tie for 23rd.
Leif Olson followed up a disappointing 77 in his first round with a 73 and a 74 to end the tournament tied for 47th place.
Castleforte, who shot a 233, was disappointed in his play, but recognizing it was the year's first tournament, he was not discouraged.
"The first day I putted terribly," Castleforte said. "I just could not putt well. I had a little trouble adjusting to the tournament atmosphere."
Due to the cold weather in Durham, the Duke golfers said they were not been able to practice as much as they would have liked. Additionally, the conditions in Jacksonville were also difficult as strong winds made play very tough.
"It was the first tournament of the spring," said Blaum. "I think we established we had to work a little harder as a team."
The team hits the course again Feb. 23 at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan.
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