Taking advantage of playing at home, the No. 12 Blue Devils honored the memory of longtime coach Rod Myers by taking both the team and individual titles this weekend.
Duke won the Rod Myers Invitational, an annual tournament it hosts at the Washington Duke Inn to pay tribute to the team’s former coach, who passed away in 2007 after 34 years with the team. The Blue Devils put up rounds of 285 and 290 during 36 continuous holes of play Saturday, ending the first day two strokes behind Charlotte at one-under par.
Duke then went two-under par as a team Sunday, pulling ahead of the competition midway through the round, to secure a nine-stroke victory over Baylor. Junior Julian Suri earned medalist honors for the Blue Devils, posting a 68 on the final day to finish with a five-under par 211, two strokes ahead of Iowa’s runner-up Steven Ihm.
The win was Suri’s first career collegiate victory and Duke’s first individual title in two seasons. It also marked the first time since 1988 that a Duke golfer has earned medalist honors at a home tournament.
Brinson Paolini, Tim Gornik and Spencer Anderson also recorded top-10 finishes.
Suri played well for the majority of Saturday, but faltered late in the day.
“It’s tough to stay concentrated when you’re out there for almost 11 hours,” Suri said. “That probably led to a couple of my bogeys coming in, a little bit of mental fatigue.”
But Suri bounced back in a major way on Sunday, firing a tournament-low 68 to overcome a three-shot deficit. Suri believed his consistency with the driver was the impetus behind his win.
“I had a lot of confidence off the tee both days,” Suri said. “I’m usually pretty consistent with the other parts of my game but when I’m driving well I usually play well.”
As a team, the Blue Devils posted the only under-par round on Sunday, combining for a 286 in cool, swirling winds. Head coach Jamie Green pointed to the team’s knowledge of the course as a major factor in the win.
“One of the benefits of hosting a tournament is that [the players] have played that golf course in so many different weather and wind conditions that nothing should surprise them,” Green said.
Suri, in fact, believed the adverse weather helped him secure the individual title.
“I actually prefer the tougher conditions,” Suri said. “It narrows the field because not as many people are comfortable playing in the wind. I’m from Florida—I have played in the wind a bunch. So it’s nothing new.”
Green was also impressed by his team’s ability to control their emotions in front of friends and family.
“They played well, but they also played calmly,” Green said. “When you are going to do something on a home golf course, sometimes you get a little jacked up.... But to be able to remain level-headed throughout the day, that’s probably what I’m most proud of.”
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