Duke Women?s Golf Finishes Second At NCAA Fall Preview

Sunday, September 24

Daytona Beach, Fla.

All Day

Duke University

Day Three

Top-ranked Blue Devils Open In Third At Bryan National Collegiate

Duke Women?s Golf Finishes Second At NCAA Fall Preview

9/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. ? After struggling on day one at the 2006 Golf Daytona Beach Women's Fall Preview the top-ranked Duke Women's Golf team turned in two straight stellar rounds on Saturday and Sunday as the Blue Devils finished second with a three-day total of 878, which was played at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Georgia picked up the team title with a 54-hole total of 869, while the Blue Devils (878), UCLA (885), Auburn (888), Vanderbilt (890), Arizona State (891), Wake Forest (893), Florida (895), Tennessee (895) and Virginia (896) round out the top-10. Taking home the individual title was Nicole Smith of Tennessee with a three-day total of five-under-par, 211.

“The last two days of play for us was great,” said Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks. “It took us a couple of rounds to get used to the rough as it was really thick. The rough was nothing like we have played on so far this year, but once we got used to it we played well the final two days. It made it really hard to chip around the greens.”

Duke posted team-best rounds on Saturday and Sunday of 288 and 284, while collecting 36 birdies during the two days.

Continuing her excellent play was senior Anna Grzebien, who notched her second straight under-par round with a 71. A native of Narragansett, R.I., Grzebien began the day with a bogey on the first hole, but settled down to collect birdies on the second, third and fourth holes to move to two-under-par. The 2004 NCAA Individual Champion and two-time All-America then fired birdies on No. 7 and No. 8 to move to four-under-par. On the back nine, Grzebien had a bogey on No. 11 and a double-bogey on the par-three 15th hole along with seven pars. For the weekend, she finished tied for seventh with a 217.

Junior Jennifer Pandolfi tied a career-best 18-hole total on Sunday as the turned in a four-under-par, 68, and finished tied for 14th overall with a 220. Pandolfi, who is from Navarre, Fla., headed into the seventh hole at one-over-par, but then reeled off five straight birdies from holes No. 7-11 to move to four-under-par. She then had a bogey on the 12th hole, a birdie on No. 13 and then had five straight pars to close out her round. Pandolfi matched her 68 from the Bryan National Collegiate in the third round as a sophomore.

Amanda Blumenherst, a sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz., turned in an even-par, 72, on the final day and finished tied for 10th with a 218. She posted 11 consecutive pars before totaling a bogey on the 12th, but came back to birdie the par-five, 14th hole. Blumenherst closed out her day with four pars to post a 72.

Sophomore Jennie Lee posted a 73 on Sunday as she finished tied for 24th with a 223. A product of Henderson, Nev., Lee opened the morning with nine straight pars and made the turn at even-par, 36. She began the back nine with a bogey on No. 10 but came back with a birdie on the 13th hole. Lee notched another birdie on the par-five 16th, but finished the final hole with a double-bogey to close out her weekend.

Finishing with an one-over-par, 73, was freshman Alison Whitaker, who placed tied for 40th with a 227. A product of Melbourne, Australia, Whitaker had two double-bogey's on the third and sixth holes before closing out the front nine with birdies on No. 8 and No. 9. After making the turn at two-over-par, she had bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes and a birdie on the par-four No. 11. Whitaker closed the day with birdies on both par fives, No. 14 and No. 16, to go along with four pars.

Duke will next stay close to home as the Blue Devils will travel down Tobacco Road to compete in the Tar Heel Invitational from Oct. 6-8 at the Finley Golf Course.

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