Women's golf place 3rd after scoring mishap

It was a mistake in the clubhouse rather than on the course that cost Duke its 10th straight Tar Heel Invitational title.

The Blue Devils finished third in the tournament despite tying for the best team round with their final round 292.

Following her second round, freshman Alison Whitaker signed for a 77, when she in fact shot a 78. The error disqualified her round, and the Blue Devils were forced to count junior Jennifer Pandolfi's career-worst round of 86 toward the team score.

The mistake put Duke 12 strokes behind eventual winner Vanderbilt when they should have been four strokes back. The Blue Devils' strong third round allowed them to gain six strokes on the Commodores, but the deficit was too much for Duke to overcome.

"Obviously, we are not playing the kind of golf that we will eventually be playing," head coach Dan Brooks said. "The nature of any sport is you cannot play the best all the time. The important thing is to recognize when you are doing things right, and I believe we are."

Sophomore Jennie Lee led the Blue Devils with three consecutive even-par rounds, good enough for third place individually. Sophomore Amanda Blumenherst finished fourth overall after firing a tournament-low 69 Sunday.