Smith Cards Even-Par Round to Pace Duke on Day Two of NCAA Championship

CARLSBAD, Calif.  – The Duke women’s golf team carded a 5-over, 293, in round two of the NCAA Championship and enters Sunday’s action in 10th-place with a 36-hole, 579, at the 6,297-yard, par-72 Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course in Carlsbad, Calif. 
 
The Blue Devils are only five shots out of fourth place with the top 15 teams following the third round advancing to Monday’s final day of stroke play.  Sophomore Andie Smith netted 13 pars and three birdies, including two over her last three holes to finish strong with an even-par, 72. 
 
How It Happened

• Duke featured a quick turnaround from round one and two as the Blue Devils opened the second round at 7:35 a.m., local time on No. 1.
• On the first nine holes, Duke was 7-over-par and dropped down the leaderboard, but closed with a 3-under score on the back nine to move back up.
• Sophomore Andie Smith led the Blue Devils in round two with an even-par, 72.After hitting the fairway bunker on the first hole, she suffered a bogey to open the day.She came back on the par-3 third hole and rolled in a 40-footer for birdie to get back to even.Smith, a native of Hobe Sound, Fla., suffered a double-bogey on No. 6 to fall to 2-over for the day.She responded by playing her final 12 holes at 2-under-par to finish with a 72.Smith sank a 20-footer for birdie on No. 16 to get one shot back and then hit her 50-degree wedge from 105 yards to seven feet for birdie on No. 18.She hit 15 greens, 13 fairways and had 33 putts on the day.
• Both graduate student Emma McMyler and senior Phoebe Brinker posted rounds of 73 on Saturday.
• Brinker bogeyed two out of her first three holes, before parring the next seven.She turned in one of her best approach shots of the day on the 318-yard, par-4 11th as she hit her 60-degree wedge from 80 yards to four feet for her first birdie.Brinker, who is from Wilmington, Del., then got up-and-down for par on No. 12, before making a terrific bogey on No. 13, after ending up in trouble off the tee.She bogeyed No. 13, but collected a 10-foot birdie on No. 16 to get back to 1-over for the day.Brinker parred her final two holes to finish with a 73.She hit 14 greens, 12 fairways and rolled 32 putts.
• McMyler, a product of San Antonio, Texas, bogeyed the first hole and then returned to even on No. 3 as she hit her 7-iron from 156…