Overview
The late sunset of Carlsbad, Calif., marked the conclusion of a solid spring season for Duke men’s golf. Falling just short of team qualification to the NCAA Championship, it is easy to think this season was a disappointment compared to the year prior. However, Duke won its home tournament, the Rod Myers Invitational, and are no longer near the bottom of the ACC. Also, the Blue Devils continued by qualifying for their ninth straight NCAA Regional and 32nd postseason appearance in program history. Jamie Green and Duke have qualified in 14 out of 15 seasons in his tenure as head coach. It was a very solid season, but the Blue Devils did not get results when they mattered most.
As early as September, Duke began its season in the top-25 in Sammamish, Wash., for the Sahalee Players Championship. Notably, this was freshman and U.S. Junior Amateur Champion Bryan Kim’s debut for the Blue Devils, and the start of a thrilling season for a young team.
Moving to the spring season, Duke kept within the top five for all but one match it played. Most of the time falling somewhat behind in the first round, the Blue Devils always found a way to bounce back to keep their streak alive. But while their results stayed consistent, the lineups vastly differed from the fall.
Sophomores Ethan Evans and Daniel Choi made their spring debuts at The Prestige Tournament. Duke ended in fifth place, but not without some fireworks. Evans was the low Blue Devil at -7, the best finish through 54 holes among the team this year. Competing as an individual and tallying a low score of 6-under, sophomore William Love left a statement result in his return from injury, the second best of his career.
In the Wake Forest Invitational at the famous Pinehurst No. 2, Duke kept it rolling. Love had an incredible second and third round, shooting 66 and 68, respectively. He cooked 11 birdies to push his team to fourth.
Best win
Duke stayed true to the top five all fall, reaching a team victory at its home tournament, the Rod Myers invitational. Junior Luke Sample led the way by tying for third place with a 5-under, and the New York native would continue on to be one of Duke’s top scorers in the fall. Bryan Kim, the other top scorer for the Blue Devils for the fall season, secured his first ever collegiate top-5 finish as well.
MVP: Ethan Evans
In a breakout year, moving up 300 spots in Scoreboard’s individual rankings, the most valuable player for the Blue Devils had to be Ethan Evans. Once the spring began, Evans started rolling, finishing as the top Blue Devil for the first four tournaments. Evans and the state of Florida made a great combo. At The Hayt in Sawgrass, Fla., Evans had his best finish for Duke, tying for second place at 2-under. At the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Fla., the sophomore shot an incredible 65 in the third round, his career low.
While the team didn’t replicate its previous results from the year before — failing to make the semifinals of the ACC Championship and qualifying out of the NCAA Regionals — Evans continued his great year by finishing as the best individual from a non-qualifying team at the NCAA Regionals in Baton Rouge, La. In another outstanding third round, Evans fought his way to a three-for-two playoff, where his magical run ended before the final round.
Accolades
Evans was the sole qualifier for the National Championship among the Blue Devils, and performed admirably in the event. Seven Blue Devils qualified for the All-ACC Academic Team — which is a program record. Ian Siebers got his fourth-consecutive nomination, joined by Jimmy Zheng, Kelly Chinn, Luke Sample, William Love, Daniel Choi and Bryan Kim.
It's also time for collegiate players to continue playing in tournaments to improve their game, and prepare for the upcoming fall. Kim impressively was just one stroke shy from making the U.S. Open cut at Pinehurst No. 2, where Duke played earlier in the year. In the fall, the Blue Devils will return another year older, and look to make a return to the National Championship as a team.
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