Brinker Wins Individual Title at ANNIKA Intercollegiate

LAKE ELMO, Minn. – Duke women’s golf senior Phoebe Brinker concluded the 2023 ANNIKA Intercollegiate in a tie for first place with an 8-under-par, 208 at the 6,395-yard, par-72 Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minn.

Brinker, who hails from Wilmington, Del., finished tied along with Florida State’s Lottie Woad, Oregon’s Kiara Romero and South Carolina’s Louise Rydqvist.  It marked her second overall individual victory as she also won the 2021 ACC Championship.  Brinker placed tied for first a year ago in the Tar Heel Invitational, but lost in a playoff.  She now owns nine career top-5 finishes along with 12 top-10 and 15 top-20 placements.   

How It Happened

•    For the third straight day, Duke opened action on hole No. 10.

•    The Blue Devils struggled out of the gate Wednesday morning dropping to 9-over-par to start the day.  Duke rebounded late on the front nine with five birdies over a span of five holes.

•    Phoebe Brinker made a key up-and-down for par on No. 1 and then suffered her lone bogey of the day on No. 2.  She went on to play the final 16 holes at 3-under-par with birdies on No. 15, No. 2 and No. 6.  Brinker drained a 25-footer for birdie on the 15th hole, had an impressive chip on No. 2 from a tough lie to leave herself a 5-foot birdie putt and then hit her pitching wedge from 120 yards to six feet for birdie on No. 6.  She closed the day with a 2-under, 70.  

•    In the final round, Brinker missed only one green (17), while hitting 10 fairways and rolling 33 putts.  

•    After carding back-to-back scores of 1-under-par, 71, the first two days, graduate student Emma McMyler closed the week with a 2-over, 74, to finish tied for 25th with a 216.  Her opening tee shot missed the fairway and she went on to suffer a double-bogey to start her round.  McMyler regrouped and parred the next three holes, before rolling in three birdies over a span of four holes.  She drained a nine-footer for birdie on the challenging 372-yard, par-4 14th, sank a 6-foot birdie on No. 15 and then collected a 12-foot birdie on the par-5 No. 17.  McMyler hit 14 greens, nine fairways and rolled 34 putts on the day.  

•    Senior Anne Chen signed for a 2-over, 74, in the final round and finished tied for 38th with a 220.  She opened with an up-and-down par and then…