Smith Places in Top 5 at Tar Heel; Blue Devils Finish Second Overall

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Graduate student Andie Smith carded a tied for fourth placement at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational over the weekend, while the Duke women’s golf team earned a runner-up finish at the 6,095-yard, par-70 Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill.
 
After claiming the individual title a year ago, Smith closed strong with a tournament-best ledger of 5-under, 65, Sunday to move into a tie for fourth with a 2-under-par, 208.  As a team, Duke totaled rounds of 282, 285 and 283 to finish second with a 54-hole score of 850.  The Blue Devils were second behind Auburn (835). 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND THREE

• Andie Smith had her putter working early in the final round as she drained a 10-footer for birdie on No. 2 and then a 15-foot birdie on No. 3 to get to 2-under early.  She then parred five holes in a row and added a 35-foot birdie on No. 9.  Smith, who hails from Hobe Sound, Florida, had a greenside chip-in on No. 10 and then hit her 54-degree wedge from 106 yards to five feet for birdie on No. 11 to get to 5-under.  She connected on her sixth birdie on No. 15 as she hit her 5-wood from 242 yards to 40 feet and 2-putted.  Smith suffered her lone bogey on No. 16 and then finished with two pars for a 5-under, 65.  She hit 10 fairways, 14 greens and had 29 putts. 
• With a 1-under, 69, to finish the weekend, Katie Li finished tied for 21st for the event.She had three birdies on the day on No. 4, No. 12 and No. 15, including two on par-5 holes in which she hit in two.
• Anna Cañado Espinal started her day with a par, bogey and then registered back-to-back birdies on No. 3 and No. 4.  She held a 1-under score through nine holes and then finished the back nine with a 3-over ledger en route to a 2-over, 72, score.  Cañado Espinal finished the week with her second straight top-15 finish with rounds of 71, 72 and 72 for a 5-over, 215. 
• After turning in a 54-hole score of 216, Rianne Malixi posted her first collegiate top-20 finish.She struggled in the final round with a 77 as she was held to only one birdie.
• Carla De Troia closed the weekend with a 77. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND TWO

• Following 36 holes of action, the Blue Devils were in fourth place with 7-over, 567, behind Auburn (555), NC State (562) and Virginia Tech (564).
• Freshman Rianne Malixi paced Duke in the second round with a career-best 1-under, 69.She opened with five pars and then stuck her 5-iron from 186 yards to three feet for birdie on No….