Battling windy conditions from the opening tee, Duke played consistently and sits in eighth place after the second round of the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, S.C.
The 20th-ranked Blue Devils shot 7-over par, finishing 21 shots behind first-place Central Florida.
While the constant wind could have been detrimental to the Blue Devils' performance early on, Duke was able to overcome the nagging weather and retain its position on the leaderboard.
"From the first hole, we were fighting the wind," interim head coach Brad Sparling said. "But we played really well during stretches and finished much stronger than yesterday."
Leading the way for Duke was senior Jake Grodzinsky, who fought back after struggling for most of the first two rounds to move up 19 places and finish tied for 21st with fellow Blue Devil Jeff Edelman. Grodzinsky recorded three birdies in the final five holes to erase his two bogeys earlier in the day, shooting a 1-under-par 70.
Edelman was also able to improve on the second day, shooting six birdies and six bogeys to finish at even par. In the first round, Edelman registered an eagle and two birdies, although he ended the day with a double bogey.
In the first round of the tournament, freshman Adam Long proved reliable for Duke, finishing the day at even-par with four birdies. Unable to match his previous success, Long carded three bogeys and a double bogey to shoot a 5-over 76 and end the day in 40th place.
Despite a consistent showing on the leaderboard, Sparling believes the Blue Devils have not reached their fullest potential for the tournament.
"We have an unbelievable amount of talent," Sparling said. "We just haven't had a round where everyone is working on all cylinders."
The final round of the tournament tees off tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.
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