There are many reasons why this weekend will be crucial for head coach Dan Brooks and his team. As they head to the University of Georgia for the Liz Murphey Collegiate Invitational, they’ll face some of the top teams in the country in their final competition before postseason play.
The No. 7 Blue Devils look to capture their first overall tournament victory of the year as top player Lindy Duncan seeks to defend her individual tournament title. As one of three top-ten teams heading to this tournament, Duke faces stiff competition as they try to bounce back from last week’s disappointing results.
At last weekend’s Bryan National Collegiate, held in nearby Greensboro, N.C., the team faded on the third and final day of competition, falling from third to seventh place. Laetitia Beck, who had led the field at the end of the second day, fell all the way back to a twelfth-place finish.
Their opportunity for redemption comes at a huge national tournament, which Golf Digest considers the Liz Murphey Invitational the best spring tournament for women’s golf. It features 15 top-25 teams along with 6 top-15 teams including No. 3 Alabama and No. 5 LSU.
“It’s a challenging golf course, and if you’re a good team, you’re going to enjoy hard golf courses to demonstrate your skills,” Brooks said.
The team again will rely on Duncan, who has led the squad with a 71.17 stroke average this season, to lead the way. The fourth-ranked golfer in the country will be expected to have a good performance, especially after achieving the first individual victory of her collegiate career at this same tournament last year. She has also been on a roll of late, winning the LSU Tiger Golf Classic three weeks ago.
Duncan’s showing is particularly important because Duke, already a young team, will compete without its sole senior, Kim Donovan.
“She wanted to play,” Brooks said, “but she’s out with the flu. There’s chance of rainy, cool weather, and we didn’t want to risk it.”
Strong and consistent play will also be required from freshman Beck, who holds the second-lowest stroke average on the team, as well as the second-best overall finish.
The Liz Murphey Invitational kicks off the most difficult and important part of Duke’s schedule. In two weeks, the team travels to the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro for the ACC Championship, where the team hopes to improve from its third-place finish last year. Following that tournament is the NCAA Regional Tournament, held two weeks later from May 5-7. The season will be capped off at the NCAA Championship at the Texas A&M Traditions Club in College Station, Texas, a four day tournament from May 17-20.
“We’ve had a lot of parts that have looked good, but we haven’t got everything,” Brooks said. “We’re looking to put it all together.”
With only four tournaments left in the year, the team hopes for a good finish at the Liz Murphey Invitational to build momentum to carry into the home stretch of the season.
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