Duke Upsets USC, 4-1, Advances to NCAA Semifinals

Tuesday, May 24

Eugene, Ore.

10:00 AM

Duke University

Southern California (Match Play Quarterfinals)

Duke Upsets USC, 4-1, Advances to NCAA Semifinals

5/24/2016 3:59:00 PM | Women's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

EUGENE, Ore. – For the second straight year, the Duke women's golf team has a date in the NCAA Championship semifinals of match play as the sixth-seeded Blue Devils upset third-seeded Southern California, 4-1, at the Eugene Country Club and will face second-seeded and reigning NCAA Champion Stanford this afternoon in Eugene, Ore.

Duke reached the semifinals a year ago in the first year of match play, before falling to Baylor, 3-2.

The Blue Devils needed to come from behind Tuesday as Duke lost the first hole, which was the 370-yard, par four 10th, in four of the five matches. Duke started to make a run late on the front nine as the birdie putts started to drop.

Still feeling ill, Leona Maguire went 3-down through five holes and just couldn't get any putts to fall. She ended up dropping a 4&2 decision to Karen Chung of Southern California to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.

Junior Sandy Choi was able to even the match, 1-1, as she rolled in a six-foot birdie putt on No. 8 to close with a 2&1 win over Kyung Kim. Choi also had to battle back, after falling 1-down through two holes as Kim sank a birdie on No. 11. With a par on No. 12, Choi evened the match at all square. It would stay that way for the next three holes, until Choi drained a short birdie on the par five 15th to go up for good. Choi had another birdie on No. 1 to move to 2-up, but Kim responded with a birdie of her own on No. 2. Kim won hole six and then Choi won seven to move the match to dormie heading to No. 8. Choi sank another birdie to win 2&1.

Duke was looking strong with three groups remaining on the course and the Blue Devils were 2-up in all three.

Sophomore Gurbani Singh dropped the first hole as her opponent, Robynn Ree, sank a long birdie putt from the front of the green. Singh, who is from New Delhi, India, came back to win hole 11 as she placed her sand shot out of the greenside bunker to within inches for par. Ree suffered a bogey and the match went to all square. Singh went on to birdie No. 12 to take the lead for good. She rolled in birdies on No. 12, No. 14, No. 18 and No. 2 as she went 4-up with eight holes remaining. Singh finally closed the match with a par on No. 8 to win 2&1 and gave Duke a 2-1 lead.

Seconds after Singh's victory, freshman Virginia Elena Carta closed her match with Tiffany Chan, 2&1, to clinch the win for the Blue Devils. Carta, who didn't get much rest after winning the NCAA Individual Championship the night before, got off to a slow start going 2-down through four holes. After Chan missed a short birdie on No. 15 to go 3-up, Carta stuck her approach shot into the 16th green and rolled in her first birdie of the day to move the match to 1-down.

Carta registered a par on No. 18 to get the match back to all square and then drained her second birdie of the morning on No. 2 to take her first lead. A native of Udine, Italy, Carta never looked back with another birdie on No. 3 to go ahead 2-up and a birdie on No. 6 to go 3-up. She made a par on No. 7 to clinch the win. Carta is now 4-2 this season in match play contests.

After struggling during the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship, senior Celine Boutier regrouped and played her best golf of the week versus Gabriella Then. Boutier, who was the 2014 National Player of the Year, held an all-square ledger through four holes before Then rolled in a birdie on No. 14. Boutier was playing well and even had two lip-outs on No. 11 and No. 13 that could have won the holes.

A product of Montrouge, France, Boutier came back with a birdie of her own at No. 15 to get back to all square. It stayed that way until she had a birdie on No. 2, which gave Boutier her first lead of the match. She was credited with the victory when the match was clinched as she was 2-up with three holes remaining.

Duke and Stanford will meet for the second time this season as the Blue Devils downed the Cardinal, 4-1, in the East Lake Cup in November.

Fans can follow the action live on the Golf Channel from 6-10 p.m. (ET). The Blue Devils will tee off starting at 4:30 p.m. (ET). Live scoring will also be available via www.GolfStat.com.

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