The Blue Devils finished sixth this weekend after concluding play at the Fighting Illini Invitational Sunday. The team finished 21 strokes over par with a total score of 861, 16 back from the winner, Florida.
The sixth-place position betrayed a strong start by Duke. After two rounds of play, the team sat in a comfortable position in the upper tier of the tournament at fifth place with a score of 570, only 10 strokes from the leader, Florida.
When tournament play resumed for the Blue Devils on Sunday morning at 8:40 a.m., head coach Jamie Green felt confident in the team, and he felt so with good reason. Both Yaroslav Merkulov and Brinson Paolini had been playing well and were tied for ninth and tied for 12th, respectively.
After shooting a 67 Saturday, Paolini especially was ready to get back to the course Sunday morning. But Sunday didn’t go the way the team would have liked.
After starting the day at 10-over, Duke fell back an additional 11 strokes and lost any chance of mounting a comeback against the Gators.
Paolini’s 67 was dampered by a 2-over-72, and he finished tied for 30th with 217 total. And for Merkulov, who shot a 67 Friday, as well, the final two days were disappointing after he fired a 73 on Saturday and a 72 on Sunday to finish tied for seventh.
Despite a top-10 finish, Merkulov was slightly frustrated with himself.
“This was my first event, so I tried my best and let the game come to me,” Merkulov said. “A seventh-place finish isn’t so bad, but I was tied for second after the first round of play, and thought if I kept up my play, I could win the tournament individually and help out the team.”
Despite getting off to what the player considered a difficult start, the coach was excited about the young recruit and his performance this past weekend.
“He really is one of the best in the country, and this is one of the toughest fields we will see all year,” Green said. “It was nice to see him come right out of the gate and start off strong in his first tournament.”
The Fighting Illini Invitational is played at Olympia Fields in Illinois. Home of the 2003 U.S. Open, Olympia Fields is ranked among the hardest courses in the United States.
“The guys were excited to have the chance to play on a course like this,” Green said. “But the thing about playing [in Olympia Fields] is that it’s pretty demanding. If you’re going to post a good number, it won’t be by accident. You have to think smart and play well because this course will undoubtedly test every part of your game.”
Although the team didn’t end where it wanted to, Green was able to see the positive side after a long third day of play.
“This was our first tournament of the year,” he said. “From our perspective, its good to see where we stand and find ways in which we can keep getting better.”
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