Blue Devils Fall in Match Play at ACC Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Duke women’s golf team had its run at the 2023 ACC Championship come to an end with a 3-1-1 loss to Clemson on Saturday at the 6,092-yard, par-72 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

The Blue Devils, seeded No. 5 heading into the ACC Championship, made a great run into match play by finishing second in stroke play, but ran into a tough Clemson team on Saturday.  

How It Happened

•    Freshman Andie Smith started things off for the Blue Devils on Saturday morning against Melena Barrientos.  With a par on hole No. 1, Smith took a 1UP lead, but Barrientos came back to register a birdie on No. 3 to tie the score.  Barrientos took her first lead of the day with a par on No. 6, but Smith responded on No. 8 as she hit her wedge from 55 yards to seven feet for birdie to tie the score.  Smith 2-putted for birdie on the par-5 No. 10 to take the lead again, but Barrientos tied the score with a birdie of her own at No. 12.  Smith drained a 15-foot birdie on No. 13 to take the lead for good and put the match away with a 15-foot birdie on No. 17 with a 2&1 victory.

•    With Duke holding a 1-0 lead, Clemson came back with a win of its own as Isabella Rawl posted a 5&4 win over Megan Furtney.  Rawl birdied No. 1 to take her first lead, but Furtney’s par on No. 3 tied the score.  With a par on No. 6, Rawl regained the lead and never relinquished it winning 5&4.  

•    Duke senior Erica Shepherd dropped the first hole and trailed the entire match with Chloe Holder, before falling 3&2.  Shepherd birdied No. 5 to cut the Holder lead to 1UP, but Holder birdied No. 12 to go 2UP and closed the match on No. 16 with a par.  

•    Blue Devil junior Anne Chen opened with back-to-back pars and led, 2UP, early, against Savannah Grewal.  Grewal came back with a par and birdie the next two holes to tie the score.  Another birdie on No. 8 by Grewal gave her a 1UP lead, but Chen responded with a birdie of her own on No. 9 to tie the score.  Grewal birdied No. 10 and led 1UP, but Chen birdied No. 13 to tie the score once again.  Chen took the lead back with a par on No. 14 and led 1UP heading into the 17th hole.  Grewal stuck her approach to inches for birdie to send the match to hole No. 18.  Chen needed to drain a 20-foot birdie to extend the match on No. 18 and she…