Brinker Closes Career with Top-10 Finish at NCAA Championship

CARLSBAD, Calif.  – Duke women’s golf senior Phoebe Brinker carded a final round of even-par, 72, on Monday to conclude action at the NCAA Championship in a tie for 10th, which was being contested at the 6,297-yard, par-72 Omni La Costa Resort & Spa North Course in Carlsbad, Calif. 
 
With her finish, Brinker became just the 10th Blue Devil to register multiple top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship joining a list of former and current Duke alumnae in the professional ranks — Gina Kim, Leona Maguire, Celine Boutier, Lindy Duncan, Amanda Blumenherst, Jennie Lee, Anna Grzebien, Virada Nirapathpongporn and Candy Hannemann. 
 
Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., carded rounds of 69, 73, 74 and 72 for an even-par, 288, over the four days. 
 
As a team, Duke placed tied for 14th, which marked Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks‘ 30th top-15 finish of his career in NCAA Championship action. 
 
How It Happened

• Phoebe Brinker opened her day with a 5-footer for birdie on No. 10 and then held tough with an up-and-down par on No. 12 and a sand save for par on No. 13 to remain in the red.  She then hit her 50-degree wedge from 100 yards to three feet for birdie on the 386-yard, par-4 14th.  Brinker had another sand save for par on No. 15 and up-and-down par on No. 16 to remain at 2-under-par.  She rolled in a 4-footer for birdie on No. 17, but got in trouble with her second shot on the par-5 No. 18 and finished with a bogey.  Brinker then dropped a total of four shots over a span of six holes to fall to 1-over for the day.  She got up-and-down for par on No. 6 and then hit her 54-degree wedge from 100 yards for birdie on No. 7 to get back to even and parred the final two holes to finish with a 72.  She hit 12 fairways, nine greens and had a team-best 28 putts. 
• Senior Anne Chen signed for a 2-over, 74, in the final round and placed tied for 43rd overall with a 297.She parred the first four holes and then hit her pitching wedge from 128 yards to one foot for birdie on No. 14.She suffered bogeys on No. 16 and No. 2 to fall to 1-over, but came back to hit her 50-degree wedge to six feet from 107 yards on No. 4 to notch another birdie.After a bogey on No. 5, Chen once again got back to even with a 2-footer for birdie on No. 7.The Sugar Land, Texas native closed the day with back-to-back bogeys to…