Blue Devils Advance to Championship of Wolfpack Match Play

RALEIGH – The fourth-seeded Duke women’s golf team collected a pair of 3-2 wins over host NC State and top-seeded South Carolina on Monday to advance to the championship of the Wolfpack Match Play Invitational, which is being contested at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C.

The Blue Devils will face sixth-seeded North Carolina on Tuesday in the championship beginning at 9:10 a.m., off hole No. 1.  Duke senior Megan Furtney was the only Blue Devil to win both of her matches on Monday, while all five Duke golfers won at least one match on the day.  

How It Happened – Duke 3, NC State 2 (Quarterfinals)

•    Fourth-seeded Duke and fifth-seeded NC State went off on hole No. 10 to open their match in the morning.

•    The Blue Devils held leads in all five matches over the first nine holes.

•    After Isabel Amezcua took a 1UP lead on hole No. 11, but Duke’s Megan Furtney parred No. 12 to tie the match. Furtney drained a key 12-foot par putt on No. 14 to keep the match tied and then drained a 15-foot birdie on No. 15 to take her first lead of the match.  She drained an 8-footer for birdie on No. 16 and then parred No. 17 to go ahead, 3UP.  Furtney never trailed the rest of the way winning, 2&1.  

•    Caitlin Whitehead took a 1UP lead with a par on No. 12, but Blue Devil junior Phoebe Brinker won back-to-back holes (No. 13 and No. 14) to take a 1UP lead.  On No. 14, she rolled in a 15-footer for birdie.  After Whitehead birdied No. 17 to tie the match, the contest remained all square until Brinker won No. 3 with a par.  Brinker never relinquished the lead after that as she won No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 to close the match with a 4&3 win.

•    Duke was able to get its third win of the day to clinch the victory as Anne Chen defeated Natalie Armbruester, 3&2.  Armbruester took the first lead on No. 14 with a par, but Chen collected a birdie on No. 17 to tie the match.  Chen parred No. 18 to take her first lead and would never relinquish the lead the rest of the match.  Chen got hot on her second nine birding four straight holes from No. 2-5 to go ahead, 3UP.  She closed the match with a par on No. 16.

•    After holding a lead on eight of the first 11 holes, Erica Shepherd’s opponent, Vania Simont, got hot on the second nine by birding back-to-back holes on No….