Blue Devils Defeat South Carolina at Stephens Cup

JUNO BEACH, Fla. – After falling behind, 2-1, in match play on Wednesday afternoon to South Carolina, the Duke women’s golf team received victories from Andie Smith and Rylie Heflin to collect a 3-2 win to finish in third-place at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, which was played at the 6,200-yard, par-72 Seminole Golf Club.  

How It Happened

•    Phoebe Brinker opened the action against South Carolina’s Hannah Darling and Brinker fell behind on the first hole with a Darling birdie.  Darling took a 2UP lead with another birdie on No. 5, but bogeyed No. 6 and No. 8 to tie the match.  Brinker fell behind on No. 10, but with a birdie on No. 13, she got the match back to all square.  She had a key birdie to tie No. 14, but a birdie by Darling on No. 15 gave her a 1UP lead.  Brinker went on to fall, 2&1.  

•    Senior Erica Shepherd had a hot start to her match against Mathilde Claisse as she drained back-to-back birdies to take a 2UP lead.  After a birdie by Claisse on No. 3 and a bogey by Shepherd on No. 4, the match was tied again. Shepherd regained a 2UP lead by winning No. 5 and No. 6 and would never relinquish the lead.  She hit an 8-iron on No. 13 to eight feet and sank the birdie to win the hole.  She then notched another birdie on No. 14 to increase her lead to 5UP and clinch the 5&4 win, which gave Duke its first points on the board.

•    Duke junior Anne Chen struggled on the front nine against Katherine Muzi and South Carolina took a 5UP lead through nine.  Chen was even with Muzi on the back nine and couldn’t gain any ground, falling 5&3.

•    With birdies on No. 2 and No. 4, freshman Andie Smith took a 2UP lead early in her match against Justine Fournand.  Smith built a 3UP lead after Fournand bogeyed No. 7.  Fournand got one back on No. 9 and Smith took a 2UP lead to the back nine.  Smith dropped holes No. 14 and No. 15 and the match was tied with three holes remaining.  On No. 16, Smith had a perfect drive and had 82 yards left for her approach.  She hit a three-quarter 54-degree wedge to 10 feet and drained the birdie to take a 1UP lead.  Smith sealed the win on No. 18 with another birdie to win, 2UP.  

•    The match came down to the final group on the course for the two squads – Rylie Heflin of Duke and Louise Rydqvist of South Carolina.  Heflin…