Duke Comes Back to Win Landfall Tradition

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Heading into the final round of the Landfall Tradition, the Duke women’s golf team trailed by four strokes, but the Blue Devils caught fire Sunday to collect a school-record tying 17-under-par, 271, to win the event for the fourth time in school history.  

Duke turned in rounds of 286, 286 and 271 to finish with a 21-under, 843.  The Blue Devils finished in a tie for first along with Clemson, but Duke won the team title by virtue of a tiebreaker (fifth player’s third round score).  

All six Blue Devils that hit the course on Sunday shot under par – Anne Chen (8-under, 64), Phoebe Brinker (4-under, 68), Emma McMyler (3-under, 69), Katie Li (2-under, 70), Andie Smith (2-under, 70) and Rylie Heflin (2-under, 70).  

Duke and Clemson finished with an 843, while UCF (844), Arizona (855) and Alabama (856) rounded out the top five teams at the 6,194-yard, par-72 Country Club of Landfall Pete Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C.

How It Happened

•    Senior Anne Chen opened her day on hole No. 5 and parred the first four holes, before suffering her lone bogey on No. 9.  Chen then struck fire with nine birdies over her next 13 holes to get to 8-under-par.  She connected on a 10-foot birdie on No. 10 and 7-foot birdie on No. 11.  Chen, who hails from Sugar Land, Texas, then hit her 50-degree wedge from 102 yards to six feet for birdie on No. 14 and then stuck her 50-degree wedge to eight feet on No. 15.  Chen rolled in birdies on No. 17 and No. 18 to make the turn at 6-under, 30.  She hit her 60-degree wedge from 67 yards to nine feet on No. 1 to get to 6-under, parred No. 2 and then hit her 54-degree wedge from 90 yards to 13 feet for birdie.  Chen closed her day by hitting her 3-wood on the par-5 fourth hole over the green, but hit an 18-yard pitch to three feet for birdie.  She hit a season-high 16 greens, 10 fairways and rolled 27 putts on the day.  Chen finished in a tie for fifth with a 7-under, 209.

•    With three straight rounds of even or under par, senior Phoebe Brinker placed tied for fifth with a 7-under, 209.  Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., opened with three birdies over her first five holes to get to 3-under early.  She had her irons dialed in the entire day sticking her approach to a few feet for her six birdies.  Brinker netted birdies on No. 10 and No….