Smith Paces Blue Devils in First Round of ANNIKA Intercollegiate

LAKE ELMO, Minn. – The preseason sixth-ranked Duke women’s golf team had a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign Monday morning at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, but cooled off, finishing with a 15-over, 303, at the Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo.
 
The Blue Devils were 3-under-par early in the round as freshman Rianne Malixi was 2-under and junior Katie Li was 1-under while Duke was leading the field.  As a team, the Blue Devils had five birdies over the first four holes, but had only four birdies and one eagle the rest of the way. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND ONE

• The Blue Devils opened the day on hole No. 10.
• Leading Duke on day one was graduate student Andie Smith as she totaled a 2-over, 74, which included an eagle on her final hole of the day.Smith, who hails from Hobe Sound, Fla., registered a birdie on her first hole, No. 10, as she rolled in a 10-footer.She then played her next nine holes at 5-over.Smith closed strong with seven pars in a row from No. 2-8, before connecting on the eagle.On No. 9, Smith hit an 8-iron from 161 yards to a foot for eagle.She hit 11 fairways and 12 greens, while registering three up-and-downs.
• Rookie Rianne Malixi made her Duke debut Monday by shooting a 5-over, 77.She opened the day with two pars and then rolled in back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13.Malixi, a native Manila, Philippines, was held without a birdie the rest of the way.
• Junior Katie Li carded a 3-over, 75, in the opening round for the Blue Devils.She opened her day by hitting her 8-iron from 152 yards on the par-3 No. 12 to three feet for birdie.Li, who is from Basking Ridge, N.J., then suffered a double-bogey on No. 15.She returned to even par as she hit her 5-iron from 185 yards to 35 feet and 2-putted for birdie on No. 18.Li played her final nine holes at 3-over, while totaling 30 putts.
• In her first action as a Blue Devil, freshman Avery McCrery birdied the 345-yard, par-4 No. 10 as she hit a 9-iron from 109 yards to a foot for birdie.Over her next 16 holes she was 6-over-par, but closed strong with a birdie as she hit her 54-degree wedge from 15 yards on the par-5 No. 9 hole to three feet.McCrery hit 10 fairways and 11 greens on the day as she signed for a 77.
• Sophomore Carla De Troia had a slow start to her round as she was 7-over through 10 holes, but played the final eight holes at even par.She hit her 54-degree wedge from 78 yards to a foot on No. 2 for her first birdie of the day and then hit a 4-iron from…