After a long lay-off, the Blue Devils will finally hit the links for a tournament this weekend.
No. 4 Duke heads to Palos Verdes, Calif., to compete in the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge Tournament for its first action of the spring, hoping to shake off more than three months of rust since its last tournament, a seventh-place finish at the Landfall Tradition Oct. 24-26. The Blue Devils will tee off just after noon eastern time Sunday, an early 9:12 a.m. start time on the West Coast.
Duke earned a second-place finish at the 2014 event at the Palos Verdes Golf Club after last January's heavy snowfall disrupted the team's usual practice routine. With no such obstacles so far this year, the Blue Devils are primed to begin another run at a national title.
"We've had weather that's allowed us to practice, although it's been cold and a little bit hard to take," head coach Dan Brooks said. "It's been mostly individual stuff. We do some competitive practice together and of course we've had qualifying rounds where we get on the golf course and play against each other to determine the lineup and get ready that way."
The Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge Tournament will feature another cavalcade of top-tier talent, bringing five top-10 teams and nine top-25 teams to California for 54 holes spread across three days.
Brooks will trot out the same lineup that captured the Tar Heel Invitational title in mid-October. The starting five for the Blue Devils features three freshmen—twins Leona and Lisa Maguire and Gurbani Singh—as well as junior Celine Boutier and sophomore Sandy Choi.
The Maguire twins made an immediate impact in the fall for a Duke team that lost three members of last year's national championship squad. Leona Maguire turned in a steady two-under-par performance in the final round of the Tar Heel Invitational to finish at two-under for the weekend. After three top-five finishes in her first four college tournaments, the Cavan, Ireland, native opens the spring campaign ranked No. 3 nationally.
Lisa Maguire turned in a stroke average of 74.33 in the fall, less than one-half of a stroke ahead of Singh. As twins who grew up competing side by side, Brooks said the Maguires bring out the best in each other in practice.
"I think there's some of that going on there, but the two of them get along really well. They're just very good friends," Brooks said. "You don't see that kind of thing, it's not visible to anybody, but I'm sure they spur each other on."
Boutier spent the fall splitting time between the college links and the international tour, competing as an amateur. The Montrouge, France, native finished in the top 20 in three college events but really impressed on the global circuit, finishing tied for 29th at The Evian Championship and posting a one-over-par score at the World Amateur Team Championships as France placed tied for 11th.
The junior's strong showing in the fall helped to earn her the No. 1 spot among amateur golfers in early January, based on her average scores from the previous year of competition. If she remains unaffected by the fatigue of her hectic schedule of events through the spring, Boutier's veteran presence will be vital to a young Blue Devil roster.
"Celine pushes herself. It's very aggressive what she's willing to put herself through, but that's something that all great athletes—particularly athletes that plan to be professionals—need to learn to pace yourself," Brooks said. "I want her to play in everything she can. She gets great experience, and that helps us, every time she tees it up. We'll just do whatever fits to make sure she's taking care of her academics and keeping herself healthy."
Junior Yi Xiao will compete as an individual during the three-day event.
The 6,017-yard course at the Palos Verdes Golf Club will test Duke's ability to battle the conditions. Brooks said wind is often a factor on the par-71 course, which is also notable for its uneven lies and small greens. The Blue Devils have been pushed in practice by the Duke University Golf Club at the Washington Duke Inn, whose greens have played very fast.
"[Palos Verdes is] a good course. I feel like we've got good players, so that's always a favorable combination. If you've got smart players, good players, you're going to want the golf course to be challenging," Brooks said. "We've been challenged [in practice] and I think it's good that we're going to a tough golf course."
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