The Duke women’s golf team, led by junior Liz Janangelo’s NCAA-record 62 in the final round, surged from 15 strokes down to win the ACC/SEC Challenge, edging out Auburn by one stroke. The No. 2 Tigers led the top-ranked Blue Devils entering play Sunday on the par-71 course, but the Blue Devils putted their way back into the lead.
Facing a final round deficit is nothing new to Duke this season. At the Mason Randolph Championship earlier in October, the Blue Devils trailed by seven strokes after 36 holes before rallying to a one-stroke victory over defending-national champions UCLA.
“We just talked a little about how we’ve come back before to win,” head coach Dan Brooks said. “We just came ready to play.”
Janangelo, the reigning tournament champion, notched nine birdies and no bogeys in her record round Sunday. Her nine-under-par broke the previous NCAA record of 63, held by Katherine Hull of Pepperdine. Janangelo hit 17-of-18 greens in regulation yesterday after shooting a frustrating 74 in each of the first two rounds.
“I wasn’t making any putts,” Janangelo said of the first two rounds. “That’s not what I’m used to, but I knew that eventually they would fall.”
Janangelo failed to repeat as champion, however, after finishing the ACC/SEC Challenge with a 210. The junior tied for second place, four strokes behind Diana Ramage of the Auburn.
Freshman Jennifer Pandolfi carded an impressive 69 at the Raven Golf Course in Sandestin, Fla. Pandolfi, a product of Navarre, Fla.—a town 30 minutes from the course—played in front of family and friends while finishing a season-best 11th. Senior Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh shot even par to help produce the team’s lowest round of the weekend.
After recording a team score of 294 on the first day of play, the Blue Devils sat in third place and trailed leaders Auburn and Virginia by two strokes. Sophomore Anna Grzebien shot a one-over-par 72 to lead Duke, and Aazam-Zanganeh recorded a 73.
Fewer than 10 strokes separated the top 10 teams on the competitive first day of action, as the slow Bermuda grass made putting difficult and kept scores high.
“The greens were aggravating everyone,” Brooks said. “You really just need to spend time on greens like this to get used to them.”
Auburn separated itself from the field and shot a tournament-record 271 to take sole possession of the lead. The Blue Devils improved their team score by 10 strokes from Friday, moving them into second place. Sophomore Brittany Lang paced the team as she fired a 67 with five birdies and one bogey. Grzebien and Pandolfi each carded a 72.
The Blue Devils said they were not fazed by the big deficit entering Sunday’s action.
“We were out in full force, and there was no doubt in our minds that we would win,” Janangelo said. “We have such good camaraderie. That’s what’s going to make us better than the other teams.”
In the individual competition, Aazam-Zanganeh was 10th in the final standings with a 217, and Lang tied for 11th at 218.
The victory marks the fourth straight tournament win for the nation’s top team.
“I never take the ranking for granted,” Brooks said. “There’s weight on the girls’ shoulders, and I’m proud of how they deal with it.”
The Hooter’s Collegiate Match Play Championship is the only tournament remaining on the fall schedule.
“We’ll spend some time relaxing before the Championship and then just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Brooks said.
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