After struggling early in their lone home tournament of the year, the Blue Devils went on the road looking for redemption.
Thanks to a hot start, they will return to Durham with just that.
No. 22 Duke finished second at the Inverness Intercollegiate Tuesday after a 4-over-par final round dropped the Blue Devils three strokes behind No. 14 Auburn. Duke shot 10-under-par in the first 36 holes Monday at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, to take a three-stroke lead into the final round, but the Blue Devils were unable to protect that advantage in the final 18 holes.
For the second straight event, junior Jake Shuman paced Duke, shooting a 3-under-par 68 in the final round to tie for first individually with a three-round total of 4-under-par. The Needham, Mass., native finished tied for eighth at the Rod Myers Invitational earlier this month, when the Blue Devils finished fifth as a team.
“I was able to be really consistent today, and really for the entire tournament,” Shuman told GoDuke.com. “I tried not to get too high or too low…. I’m really comfortable on this golf course and my plan was to keep the ball in play and rely on my ball striking.”
Following an ace at the par-3 12th hole, Shuman finished tied with Michigan's Nick Carlson before Carlson won in a one-hole playoff.
“This gives me some momentum and confidence, but at the same time, I want to keep striving to do better," Shuman said.
Two other Blue Devils finished in the top 10 individually, with sophomore Alex Smalley and freshman Chandler Eaton finishing in a five-way tie for fourth place with a three-round total of 2-under-par. Eaton—the No. 13 golfer in his class—played as an individual and did not contribute to Duke's score, but posted a 4-under-par 67 Tuesday as the Blue Devils lost the team lead.
Eaton was in the lineup for Duke's first event and finished tied for 32nd.
Although Shuman ended up sharing the individual medal this week, senior Matt Oshrine was in position to win medalist honors after 36 holes. Oshrine was first individually with a Monday total of 5-under-par in the event's first 36 holes, but dropped back to a tie for 13th Tuesday with a final-round 77. The Blue Devils could have still won despite Oshrine's struggles if his teammates had picked up the slack, but senior Max Greyserman and junior Adam Wood also struggled.
Greyserman entered the final round in the top five but also carded a 77 to finish tied for 20th, and Wood posted 73 to finish for tied 26th in his first event in the lineup this year. Wood was Duke's leader in scoring average last season and finished tied for 32nd at the Rod Myers Invitational.
Despite the disappointing final round, Duke will look to put itself in contention again when it returns to the course for the Nike Collegiate Invitational Oct. 2.
“We have a nice week-and-a-half break between tournaments and there’s time to get back to work," Shuman said. "I want to get the win next time out in Texas.”
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