Blue Devils Tied for Fourth, Play Suspended Due to Darkness at Highlands Invitational

WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Following two consecutive under-par rounds, the Duke men’s golf team is currently tied for fourth place at the Highlands Invitational, played at the Chicago Highlands Club. The Blue Devils finished 10-under and 8-under, respectively, in their opening two rounds and all five golfers in Duke’s lineup enter the final round under-par, individually. Jimmy Zheng currently paces the Blue Devils, as he sits in a tie for eighth place at 6-under, 138.

The second round was suspended due to darkness with six teams remaining on the course and play is scheduled to resume at 8:10 a.m. ET.

HOW IT HAPPENED: ROUND ONE

• As a team, Duke shot a 10-under, 278, in the opening round.
• Two rounds of 3-under, 69, were turned in by Blue Devils, as both Luke Sample and Kelly Chinn tallied their first rounds in the 60’s this season.
• Sample had an action-packed front nine, as the junior rolled in six birdies. The New York, N.Y., native dropped shots on No. 1, No. 4 and No. 8 to make the turn at 2-under. A bogey on No. 10 was quickly erased with a birdie on No. 11 and Sample carded his eighth birdie of the round on the par-3 13th before finishing his 3-under, 69, with five consecutive pars.
• Chinn signed for his second straight round at par or better, dating back to the Sahalee Players Championship, with his 3-under, 69. The junior got into red numbers quickly, with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 4 and 5. His first dropped shot came on No. 10, but Chinn bounced back with his third birdie of the day on No. 11. A bogey on the 233-yard, par-3 13th moved him back to 1-under, but the Great Falls, Va., native closed out his first round on a high note with consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th.
• Freshman Bryan Kim secured his first under-par round as a Blue Devil, signing for a 2-under, 70, in the first round. He started his day with a bogey on No. 1, but steadied the ship with 12 consecutive pars. Kim got back to even-par with his first birdie of the day, on No. 14, and finished his round with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to cap off his 2-under, 70.
• Jimmy Zheng also had a 2-under, 70, in the first round. Making his first appearance in the Duke lineup this season, the senior played his front nine bogey-free, while rolling in birdies on holes No. 7 and 9. Another birdie, on No. 10, pushed…