Shepherd Moves on to Final Round of NCAA Championship

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Duke women’s golf senior Erica Shepherd moved on to the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championship, following her 54-hole total of even-par, 216, at the 6,368-yard, par 72 Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.  

Shepherd, who hails from Greenwood, Ind., is currently tied for 25th heading into Monday’s final round.  

As a team, the Blue Devils had their season come to a close as Duke posted a third round of 301 and finished the 54 holes with an 885, which was tied for 18th.  The top-15 teams advanced to the fourth and final round on Monday.  Over the three days, Duke signed for rounds of 288, 296 and 301, while missing the cut by only four strokes.  Shepherd is one of nine individuals that advanced to the fourth round along with the top-15 teams.  

How It Happened

•    Duke opened action at 8 a.m., locally, off hole No. 1.  

•    The course played very challenging on Sunday with tough pin placements and featured a scoring average of 75.60.  

•    Erica Shepherd posted Duke’s first birdie of the day as she chipped in on No. 2.  She got back to even par with a bogey on No. 5, but sank a 3-footer for birdie on No. 7 to return to the red.  After back-to-back bogeys to conclude the front nine, Shepherd made the turn with a 1-over, 37.  She strung together birdies on No. 11 and No. 13 to get to 1-under again, but missed the fairway on No. 16 and suffered a bogey.  Shepherd parred the final two holes to finish with an even-par, 72.  

•    Both Andie Smith and Phoebe Brinker carded rounds of 76 on Sunday.  After collecting nine birdies the first two days, Smith was limited to only one in the third round.  She suffered three bogeys on the front nine as she made the turn at 3-over, 39.  After a bogey on No. 10, Smith played the final eight holes at even-par with six pars, one birdie and one bogey.  Her birdie came on No. 14 as she stuck her pitching wedge to five feet and sank the putt.  She placed tied for 54th with a 220.  

•    Brinker was dialed in early, but couldn’t get any birdie putts to drop.  She suffered bogeys on No. 2 and No. 6, before sinking a 4-footer for birdie on the par-5 seventh.  Brinker had nine pars one bogey and one double-bogey to close out her round with a 76.  She finished with a 225, which was tied for…