With her teammates in the clubhouse and the score tied at two victories apeice, the weight of the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship semifinals was squarely on the shoulders of junior Liz Janangelo.
Holding a one-hole advantage over Cassandra Kirkland of Arizona, Janangelo, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, had to simply tie her opponent to stave off a playoff. After a poor tee shot, Janangelo risked making bogey and losing the hole. The junior recovered by lobbing a 9-iron onto the green and two-putting to victory.
“It was the most nervous I’ve been in a while,” Janangelo said. “I kept reminding myself that if I bogeyed the hole, my team might not be playing tomorrow.”
The weather continued to be unkind to the golfers Monday as periods of wind and rain interrupted spells of heat and sunshine. But Janangelo, Brittany Lang and Jennifer Pandolfi emerged victorious and delivered top-ranked and top-seeded Duke the three wins it needed to reach tomorrow’s finals against Arizona State.
“We really played some good golf today and put ourselves in good position to win the tournament tomorrow,” head coach Dan Brooks said.
Janangelo’s tournament-saving victory in Monday afternoon’s semifinal against Arizona almost never happened. That morning, No. 1 Duke resumed its quarterfinal matchup against Furman, which had been halted by darkness Sunday.
As the sun rose over Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., Monday, the Blue Devils were trailing Furman in three of five matches, but Duke rallied and surged past the Paladins to earn a spot in the afternoon semifinal.
Senior Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh was only one hole behind her opponent entering play. The veteran started her day by slicing her 17th-hole tee shot into the woods but made an excellent recovery to pick up a hole on her opponent. She then went on to capture the match by winning two of the final five holes.
“Niloufar hit an amazing shot on the 17th,” Brooks said. “She had to account for the 20-mph wind and the dew on the ground, but lined a low-iron shot under some trees from 150 yards out and placed the ball right in the middle of the green.”
Lang, the reigning National Freshman of the Year, turned in a commanding 4-and-2 victory, and freshman Pandolfi continued her hot play and cruised to a 3-and-2 win, clinching the victory over Furman.
“Jen is as solid as a rock out there,” Brooks said. “She’s really stepped up and has been getting the job done.”
Brooks altered his lineup slightly after the Furman match, moving Janangelo out of the top spot and Lang into the No. 1 position. He said the change was only to allow his golfers to play a round with a different teammate.
“I have so much confidence in this team, so I don’t sweat where I put them,” Brooks said. “This tournament is all about having fun, and I know Anna [Grzebien] and Brittany Lang are great friends and love the chance to play together.”
With Monday’s come-from-behind win, perennial powerhouse Duke now has an opportunity to capture its third tournament championship of the year after being on the brink of defeat.
“We like to keep our fans on the edge of their seats,” Janangelo said. “We’ve started to like coming from behind to win.”
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