Women’s Golf Punches Ticket to NCAA Championship

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Duke women’s golf program is heading to the NCAA Championship for the 35th time and will make its 33rd appearance under the direction of head coach Dan Brooks as the 10th-ranked Blue Devils placed third at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. 
 
Duke carded rounds of 286, 290 and 292 for a 16-over, 868, to finish in third place at the 6,260-yard, par-71 University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor.  The Blue Devils have finished in the top three of the NCAA regional 24 times out of 33 appearances. 
 
Freshman Rianne Malixi became the 12th Duke rookie to card a top-10 finish at an NCAA Regional as she totaled scores of 71, 70 and 72 for an even-par, 213, which was seventh overall.  Junior Katie Li (T15th) and graduate student Andie Smith (T21) both finished in the top 21 of the individual leaderboard. 
 
Along with the Blue Devils advancing to the NCAA Championship were Southern California, Ohio State, Northwestern and Texas Tech.  The championship will take place May 22-27 in Carlsbad, California. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duke opened the final round on hole No. 10 at 8 a.m., for the second day in a row.
• Freshman Rianne Malixi turned in a 4-foot birdie to kick off her day on the 507-yard, par-5 No. 11 and was 1-under through five holes.  She suffered back-to-back bogeys on No. 15 and No. 16, but came back to hit her 52-degree wedge from 86 yards on No. 17 to two inches for birdie.  Malixi made the turn with an even-par, 35.  Malixi, a native of Manila, Philippines, tapped in for birdie on No. 1, but went on to drop three shots over the next six holes.  She did have an outstanding up-and-down for par on the 308-yard, par-4 sixth hole as she chipped off the bottom portion of the green from 33 yards with her 58-degree wedge and converted an easy par putt.  Malixi closed her tournament by rolling in a 9-foot birdie on No. 9 to move Duke into solo third place as a team and she finished with a 72. 
• Katie Li collected six birdies on the day, which were the most by any player in the field Wednesday, en route to signing for an even-par, 71.  With her scores of 72, 73 and 71, Li placed tied for 15th with a 3-over, 216.  Li, who hails from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, hit her 50-degree wedge from 95 yards to three feet for birdie on No. 10 to kick off her morning.  Li parred No. 11 and bogeyed No. 12, before notching back-to-back birdies.  She drained a 20-foot birdie on No. 13 and then hit her 7-iron from 147 yards to…