Blue Devils win Match Play title

On the strength of an overpowering performance by Amanda Blumenherst, Duke defeated Georgia 3-1-1 Tuesday to claim the National Golf Coaches Association Match Play Championship. The victory was the Blue Devils' second consecutive in the event and fourth in five years.

"We weren't playing the best golf this can play throughout all the matches," head coach Dan Brooks said. "The fact we came out with a victory in the end is a testament to the experience of some of the players on this team. When you're not playing your best, you have to be patient."

Blumenherst, however, was on top of her game Tuesday. The junior won seven of the last eight holes to roll to an 8 & 6 victory.

"She would've beaten anybody in the field," Brooks said. "She's a superior talent and has learned to stay patient and not get panicked at all by being behind."

Alison Whitaker followed up Blumenherst's win with a 5 & 4 win over the Bulldogs' Mallory Hetzel. The victory pushed Whitaker's record to 8-0 in the event over the last two seasons. Freshman Kim Donovan clinched the title by defeating Krystle Caithness 5 & 3.

The championship capped Duke's fall season. The Blue Devils have nearly four months off before they tee it up again at the end of February in Tucson, Ariz.

"We're going to relax and get down to academics," Brooks said. "I like the idea of having a cultural change for each of the players, of having the winter be different for them."