With a tremendous win at the Stanford Invitational to close out the fall, the Blue Devils appeared ready to make a strong charge during the spring season. Unfortunately, a 14th-place finish at the Mercedes Championship in Florida and a 16th-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic has set Duke back a bit.
But after this weekend's performance at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, GA, the Blue Devils demonstrated that despite their early struggles, they still have a lot of fight left in them. By shooting a 54-hole score of 872, Duke was able to take home fourth-place honors--only the third time this year that it has found itself in the top-five.
En route to this finish, the Blue Devils beat out five teams in the top-25 including second ranked Clemson. The only teams finishing better this weekend than Duke were the number one-ranked Florida Gators, who won the tournament with a score of 859, the Georgia Bulldogs who shot 869 and the South Carolina Gamecocks who scored an 871.
In its strong performance, Duke was led by sophomore Nathan Smith who posted a stellar fourth-place finish with a three round total of 213. Smith played well all weekend, shooting three scores at par or better. He opened up the tournament with a 71 and a 72 leaving him 13 shots behind the leader in a tie for 17th place. But during the final round when winds were high as well as the scores, Smith finished the round two-under par. Smith's 70 was not only his best score of the tournament but the second best score posted during the final round.
Following closely behind the strong play of Smith were sophomore Alex Wilson and seniors Rob Beasley and Mike Castleforte--all who finished in the top-25. Wilson had the lowest round of the tournament for the Blue Devils, carding a four-under par 68 during his first round.
Closing out the Blue Devils was freshman James Dickey, playing in only his second collegiate event. He finished 73rd.
Duke returns home to Durham to prepare for the Cleveland/Augusta State Invitational back in Georgia in two weekends.
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