Without the nation’s top golfer, the Blue Devils opened their spring season in a position to pick up where they left off in the fall.
Duke sits in second place, four strokes behind leader UCLA, at the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verde, Calif. The women’s team is in search of its sixth consecutive tournament victory but is competing with just four golfers as junior and reigning Player of the Year Liz Janangelo recovers from pneumonia.
“They only count four,” head coach Dan Brooks said. “We have a lot of talent, and we wouldn’t be in this situation if I didn’t have a lot of faith and belief in every single one of them.”
The Blue Devils posted a 9-over-par 293 in the opening 18 holes of the three-day tournament.
Sophomore Brittany Lang’s three-under-par put her in the first-round lead. After bogeying the par-4 opening hole, Lang played mistake-free golf the rest of the day, including back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes.
“It was ordinary for Brittany; she has a very dominating type of game,” Brooks said. “Her game is well suited for this course. The greens are small and you have to be able to spin your short shots. She can make the ball dance on the greens, and she didn’t even putt well. If she had made any putts, she would have gone real low.”
Brooks said he was impressed with his team’s play considering Duke was not used to the fast greens and hilly conditions. In addition, the Palos Verdes Golf Club is one of the home courses for UCLA, and Brooks recognizes that it may take the next two days to adjust.
Senior Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh was inconsistent and finished the day two over par, but that was good enough for Duke’s second best score and seventh overall.
She was two under through five holes but then double-bogeyed the par-5 seventh. She had another double on the back nine and finished the day with six birdies and four bogeys.
“Niloufar is playing well,” Brooks said. “She has a tremendous tempo and just keeps everything under control. She got nailed on a couple of holes today, which led to double-bogeys, but for the majority of the round she played great.”
The Blue Devils’ other two golfers, sophomore Anna Grzebien and freshman Jennifer Pandolfi, shot four-over and six-over-par, respectively.
After nine Grzebien was just one-over par, but on the final four holes she recorded three bogeys and a birdie. Grzebien is suffering from a wrist injury that is affecting her short shots, Brooks said.
After the first nine holes, the Blue Devils were at even par as a team, but they struggled on the back nine, shooting 9-over.
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