Duke placed ninth in the 10-team field in the Bahamas to begin its spring.
Year 39 of the Dan Brooks era is here. The Chronicle is here to bring you up to speed before the season begins.
Coming in at No. 10: Duke women’s golf found bright spots in Phoebe Brinker’s ACC title and Anne Chen’s victory in the Chattanooga Classic.
At the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational at Governors Club in Chapel Hill, 54 holes was not enough to determine an individual champion, as Brinker and Castle were tied at -7 (209).
The seventh-ranked Blue Devils saw improvement through the first 54 holes and advanced to the final day as one of four teams competing in match play, but their stroke-play finish wasn’t high enough to compete for the top spot.
It was a momentous weekend for former Duke standouts Jaravee Boonchant and Gina Kim.
Duke concluded its trip to the Windy City with a tie for fourth place, its best finish of the six times the team has competed in the tournament.
Phoebe Brinker paced a Duke team aiming to start off its season on a high note.
For the first time as a professional, Gina Kim is a winner.
From Gina Kim turning pro to Megan Furtney being a consistent member of the lineup again, there was a lot to take away from head coach Dan Brooks’ 37th year at the helm. Here are three of the main storylines from regionals and the season as a whole.
For the first time since 2011, Duke did not qualify for the NCAA Championship.
Erica Shepherd is ready for her second postseason run. But how did she get to this point?
In their quest for consecutive conference team titles, the Blue Devils came up short. But thanks to Phoebe Brinker and Erica Shepherd, Duke did not leave Pawleys Island, S.C., with a lack of hardware.
Chen entered the final round Tuesday just two shots off the pace, but vaulted into the lead with a front-nine 32. Then, birdies on 11 and 18 finished off a pristine bogey-free 66, and made it official. In her 13th try, Chen was a winner at the college level.
If there’s one takeaway from the three-day event in Palos Verdes Estates, Ca., then it’s that sophomores Phoebe Brinker and Anne Chen led the way, tying for 18th and 26th at +5 and +7 on the individual leaderboard, respectively.
Over the three-day event at the par-71 Long Cove Club, Duke was able to improve on its score each round, moving up to 10th place by the end of the event.
But while head coach Dan Brooks and company harbor high expectations yet again, the 16th-ranked Blue Devils started their spring slate with an underwhelming tie for 10th in the 54-hole Moon Golf Invitational at windy Suntree Country Club.
Time will tell whether these Blue Devils can be contenders, but Duke is Duke, so don’t expect too much of a drop-off—if there even is one.
After a decorated career as a Blue Devil, Gina Kim is making the leap to the LPGA. The Chapel Hill native, who was a freshman on the 2019 national title team and last year’s ACC individual medalist, decided to turn professional and forgo her remaining collegiate eligibility. Kim will attempt to Monday qualify into her first two events, which are set to take place over the next two weeks.
You can officially add "LPGA Tour member" to Gina Kim's decorated resumé.
