Blue Devils Make Late Comeback, Advance to NCAA Championship

NORMAN, Okla. – With another late rally in postseason play, the Duke men’s golf team stormed back from as many as 10 shots back from the cut line to advance out of the Norman Regional on Wednesday afternoon. With their fifth-place finish, the Blue Devils move on to the NCAA Championship, held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., on May 26-31.

Duke finished the 54-hole event, held at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, with a team score of 21-under, 843. The score to par and total score sets program records for an NCAA regional held at a par-72 course, with the 21-under just one shy of the program record for any NCAA regional (-22, 2018).

The Blue Devils were led by Kelly Chinn and William Love in the final round, as they both posted a 5-under, 67. All five individuals finished at 1-over or better on Wednesday, with four Blue Devils finishing in red numbers. Chinn led the Blue Devils on the individual leaderboard, finishing in a tie for seventh place. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Faced with a slow start early on, Duke rallied with 17 birdies through the final nine holes to secure a finish inside the cutline.
• As a team, the Blue Devils shot a 13-under, 275, in the third round.
• Kelly Chinn helped pace the Blue Devils on Wednesday, shooting a 5-under, 67. The sophomore got under-par with a birdie on his first hole of the day, No. 10. He then rolled in five straight pars before going back-to-back with birdies on No. 16 and 17 – making just the second birdie of the day on both of those holes. The Great Falls, Va., native picked up two more birdies on No. 2 and 3, reaching 4-under par. A final birdie on the par-4 seventh – the fourth-hardest hole of the day – moved Chinn to 5-under. He rolled in pars on the final two holes, including a two-putt par on No. 9 that clinched Duke’s spot inside the cutline.
• William Love started his day with a birdie on No. 10 but faced an uphill climb after two double-bogeys put the freshman at 2-over after six holes. His third birdie of the back nine, on No. 17, moved the freshman back to just 1-over, and set up a blistering closing nine holes. The Atlanta, Ga., native poured in six birdies after making the turn, including four over his final five holes. Love played the front nine at 6-under, 30, en route to a final-round 5-under, 67.
• Another piece of the late comeback…