Blue Devils Advance to NCAA Championship; Place Second in Regional

CLE ELUM, Wash.  – For the 34th time in program history and the 32nd under head coach Dan Brooks, the Duke women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship on Wednesday as the Blue Devils placed second at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional, which was contested at the 6,306-yard, par-72 Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, Wash. 
 
Duke featured two golfers in the top seven – Emma McMyler (6th) and Andie Smith (7th) – along with all five Blue Devils in the top 20 following 54 holes – Katie Li (13th), Anne Chen (T13) and Phoebe Brinker (T19).  McMyler turned in her fourth straight top-10 finish at an NCAA Regional to become one of only two Blue Devils in program history to accomplish that mark (Leona Maguire). 
 
As a team, Duke posted rounds of 282, 288 and 295 for a 54-hole score of 865.  Stanford (847) won the regional with Virginia (876), Arizona State (885) and San Jose State (887) rounding out the top five teams advancing. 
 

The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Championship, which will take place May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
 
How It Happened

• Graduate student Emma McMyler carded rounds of 74, 69 and 72 to finish 1-under, 215, which was sixth overall.After parring the first four holes, McMyler dropped three shots over a span of two holes.She connected on her first birdie of the day on the par-5 eighth hole as she sank a 7-footer.After a 3-putt bogey on No. 12, McMyler hit her pitching wedge from 125 yards to seven feet for birdie.She then went to the 528-yard, par-5 14th and hit her 3-hybrid from 237 yards to inches for her third eagle of the season to return to even par.McMyler, a native of San Antonio, Texas, closed with a 3-foot birdie on No. 15 and 2-putt birdie on No. 18 and finished with a 72.She hit 13 greens, 12 fairways and rolled 30 putts.
• With her second-straight top-10 finish at a NCAA Regional, sophomore Andie Smith posted rounds of 72, 72 and 73 for a 1-over, 217, which was seventh overall.After a slow start to the day, Smith reached the par-5 eighth green in two and 2-putted for birdie to get to 2-over.Smith bogeyed No. 10, but then hit her 50-degree wedge from 110 yards to three feet for birdie on No. 12.She closed the day playing her final five holes at 2-under.Smith, who is from Hobe Sound, Fla., 2-putted for birdie on the par-5 14th and…