DURHAM – A pair of Duke women’s golfers – Anne Chen and Erica Shepherd — are set to open action at Stage I of LPGA Qualifying School, which will take place Aug. 28-31 on the Dinah Shore and Palmer Courses at the Mission Hills Country Club as well as the Classic Course at Indian Wells Country Club in California.
A total of 318 golfers hit the links this week hoping to move on to Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in October. The field includes golfers from 39 different countries and 37 states.
Following 54 holes of stroke play, the top-125 and ties advance to the final round that will be contested on the Dinah Course at Mission Hills. The top-95 and ties advance to Stage II of LPGA Qualifying, which is slated to be played Oct. 17-20 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla.
A two-time All-America and three-time All-ACC selection, Shepherd collected a 73.12 stroke average over four seasons with the Blue Devils. She registered one victory, six top-5, 10 top-10 and 16 top-20 finishes in 34 career tournaments. Shepherd, who hails from Greenwood, Ind., posted 39 rounds of even or under par and 10 rounds in the 60s. She turned in three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Regionals, becoming just the 11th Duke golfers to collect three or more top-15 finishes in regional action.
Chen, a current senior on the 2023-24 Duke squad, is coming off a strong summer where she placed second in stroke-play qualifying at the North & South Women’s Amateur in Pinehurst and advanced to match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Chen owns 10 top-20 and six top-10 finishes over her Blue Devil career. She claimed the Chattanooga Classic individual title as a sophomore with a 9-under-par, 207.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women’s golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2023/8/28/DukeWGOLF”.
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