No. 1 Duke fired a school record 277 in the final round of competition, propelling the Blue Devils to their eighth-straight ACC Championship title and proving why Duke is the nation's top team. The day was highlighted by Leigh Anne Hardin's season-best 67 and Liz Janangelo's score of 68, landing her second in individual honors. The Blue Devils dominated all weekend, leading through all three days of the tournament held in Clemmens, N.C., despite Friday's inclement weather.
The Blue Devils shot a three-day total of 877 on the Par-71 course, defeating second-place Wake Forest by 16 strokes. It was, however, the first time in five years that a Duke golfer did not earn the individual title.
Meagan Francella of North Carolina beat Janangelo by a mere stroke, after the Tar Heel shot two-under par in the final two rounds. Overall, Duke dominated the individual competition with four players - Janangelo, Hardin, Kristina Engstrom, and Virada Nirapathpongporn - in the top seven. Hardin had a bogey on the 17th hole en route to Sunday's team-leading score. Looking at only the scores of these four players' last two rounds, the Blue Devils would be under par.
"Leigh Anne played great golf," head coach Dan Brooks said. "She has done a lot of hard work this spring and it is really paying off. Kristina just learned to score really well, no matter what is going on in her game. Her scores were indicative of that."
Sophomore Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh was another important force in Duke's victory after her strong showing in the final round, shooting even par, tying her for 12th overall.
Duke shot its worst score of the season Friday with a 310, but Brooks noted that the weather was so bad, that he was pleased with such a score.
Despite sub-40 degree weather, rain and wind, and a 26-over par score, Duke was in first place, leading N.C. State's 315.
"I feel great about [the victory]," Brooks said. "The effort was good, especially during the first two days. The 310 pleased me every bit as much as the 277 because the conditions were unbelievable...with that weather, anything around a 310 was acceptable."
Saturday's weather was a little more forgiving and despite the cold, there was no rain. The Blue Devils shot a second-round 290, to put them at 600 after two days and an eight stroke lead over Wake Forest. Nirapathpongporn led the team with an even-par 71 to place her third individually. Janangelo also shot even, but trailed her teammate by two strokes.
"The competition was very pleasing," Brooks said. "It is great to see that the ACC is stronger than it's been in past years...The worst score today was a 306. These are pretty good numbers and I'm happy to see the ACC get stronger. The stronger it is, the more it helps us."
The Blue Devils have a couple weeks of practice before heading to the NCAA Regionals May 8-10, held at the same course.
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