Overview
The Blue Devils concluded their season with a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. To get there, the team had to learn from past mistakes and steadily grow.
In a preseason poll by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, Duke fell just short of the top 25. By February, the Blue Devils had risen to 16th place. The team had its highest ranking of the season in April — at 6th place — less than one week before the ACC Championship.
Strong winds challenged Duke in early spring but the team quickly adapted. Through focused, intentional training, hitting under blustery conditions became a strength for the program. The Blue Devils were able to convert disappointing results at the Moon Golf Invitational and the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate into a first-place finish at the Florida State Matchup, with momentum entering the postseason.
In championship play, stronger competitors and difficult courses challenged Duke. Nonetheless, the team persisted, advancing all the way to the end of stroke play at the national championship.
Results relative to expectations
When previewing the season, The Chronicle expected the Blue Devils to make significant strides if they could steadily grow and gain momentum. But Duke would risk its momentum if it failed to deliver high-level play with consistency.
Across competitions, the team did both — a consistently improving Blue Devil program faced a season peppered with ups and downs as the bar for competition was gradually raised approaching championship play.
The Blue Devils climbed in national rankings as graduate student Emma McMyler and sophomore Katie Li slotted into the team’s roster as composed, resilient players. Seniors Phoebe Brinker and Anne Chen both stepped into roles as leaders of the team, hitting low throughout the fall and shining at key moments in the spring, like when Brinker hit an even-par finish exiting the fourth round of the NCAA Championships.
In spite of star moments from the year, Duke also faced its share of underwhelming outcomes.
After finishing first at the Landfall Tradition to close fall play for the team, the Blue Devils opened the spring tied for 13th of 17 in competition. The Melbourne, Fla., showing came with the highest stroke-play score of the season. The team also fell short at the ACC Championship, placing fifth and missing the cutoff for match play qualification by one stroke.
Bad days plagued Duke, including one at the NCAA Championship’s conclusion. But play improved throughout the season, though it was harder to see; higher stakes and stronger competition meant an elevated bar for exceptional performance.
The Chronicle predicted the Blue Devils to place second at the ACC Championship and 16th in the NCAA Championship. The team placed fifth and 14th, respectively.
Best win
Duke jumped out strong and connected rounds of solid play to achieve a record-breaking finish at the Florida State Match Up March 15 and 16. The Tallahassee competition came less than 10 days after another fierce battle with wind at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and laid a foundation for later success at the Old Barnwell Match Play.
An accumulation of disciplined, diligent training prompted the stark difference, along with a demonstration of the Blue Devils’ capacity for explosiveness — driving scores significantly beneath par on good days.
Carding 30 under-par, at 834, meant Duke exited the competition with a tournament record and an updated second-place mark for the lowest 54-hole score in program history. The team’s second round, 18-hole score — a school-record 24-under-par — was the third lowest in NCAA history.
The Blue Devils also featured three golfers in the individual top ten — Li (1), McMyler (T9) and Chen (T9). Li’s standout performance at the competition made her the first Duke freshman to win a tournament since the 2018-19 season.
MVP: Emma McMyler
A new face among the Blue Devils, McMyler supported Duke with dependable, consistent play across all conditions and starred in multiple top performances for the program both in the fall and spring.
Her preparedness to tackle nationally ranked opponents from programs like Florida State and South Carolina led the Blue Devils to a tiebreaker in Aiken, S.C. Previously, she guided the team to a 21-under-par finish — then the third-lowest 54-hole score in school history — with a strong -5 to lead Duke’s 9-under closing round at the Windy City Collegiate Classic.
Over seven stroke-play competitions in the Blue Devils’ regular season, McMyler shot an average 0.71 below par. Her 54-hole score exceeded +2 only twice throughout the year — once at the Moon Golf Invitational and once at the NCAA Championship. McMyler left six tournaments during the season with a final score at or below par.
Accolades
Brinker and McMyler both received All-America accolades following the NCAA Championship. Brinker’s designation came with her individual top-10 finish at the tournament, and McMyler’s honorable mention recognitions were awarded by the WGCA and Golfweek.
The two were previously honored with invites to compete at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Li and McMyler were two of 15 golfers named 2024 All-ACC designees. Li also played in the U.S. Women’s Open — alongside former Duke golfers Celine Boutier, Brittany Lang and Leona Maguire — and was one of 21 amateurs competing.
Professional plans
Chen made her professional debut on the Epson Tour, competing June 7-9 at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Mich. She fell just short of a third round qualification, hitting 5-over across her 36 holes.
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Ryan Kilgallen is a Trinity sophomore and an associate news editor for the news department.