2021 National Championship
May 21-26, 2021 • Scottsdale, Ariz.
Grayhawk Golf Club
72-Holes of Stroke Play Followed by Match Play
DUKE TRAVELS TO ARIZONA FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
In search of its eighth NCAA Championship, the second-ranked Blue Devils will hit the road for Scottsdale, Ariz., for the 2021 NCAA Championship, which runs May 21-26 at the 6,399-yard, par 72 Grayhawk Golf Club.
Participating in the championship will be -- Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Southern California, Stanford, Texas, Virginia Tech, UCLA and Wake Forest.
Duke will tee off Friday, May 21 at 2:30 p.m. (ET) in the first round off No. 10, followed by an 9:30 a.m., tee time Saturday, May 22 off the No. 1 tee box. The Blue Devils are paired with South Carolina and LSU in the first two rounds.
For the sixth straight year, the championship will feature a different look as there will be 54 holes of stroke play qualifying and then the top 15 teams and nine individuals (not on advancing teams) will play a final 18 holes to determine the individual champion and the top eight teams will advance to match play. On May 25 there will be 36 holes of match play and then the match play championship will take place May 26.
THE DUKE LINEUP
Duke will feature a lineup of senior
Jaravee Boonchant, junior
Gina Kim, sophomore
Erica Shepherd, freshman
Phoebe Brinker and freshman
Anne Chen. The Blue Devils will feature this lineup for the third time this season and third straight event.
The Blue Devils will feature two freshmen in a lineup for the NCAA Championship for the ninth time since 2000 -- 2015 (Leona & Lisa Maguire - finished 2nd), 2014 (Sandy Choi, Yu Liu - finished 1st), 2011 (Laetitia Beck, Alejandra Cangrejo - finished 2nd), 2010 (Lindy Duncan, Stacey Kim - finished 3rd), 2006 (Amanda Blumenherst, Jennie Lee - finished 1st), 2004 (Anna Grzebien, Brittany Lang - finished 1st), 2001 (Leigh Anne Hardin, Virada Nirapathpongporn - finished 1st) and 2000 (Kristina Engstrom, Maria Garcia-Estrada - finished 1st).
BIRDIES FOR BABIES
Spearheaded by 2019 Blue Devil graduate Virginia Elena Carta, the Duke men's and women's golf programs have continued their fundraising program benefitting the Duke Children's Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units called Birdies for Babies. Duke has raised $14,146.25 so far this season and over the four years of the program, it has raised $61,448.25.
Those looking to support the partnership with Duke Children's can make pledges per birdie. Pledges will start at $0.50 and high pledge increments are welcome. If the Blue Devils register an eagle (counts as two birdies), albatross (three birdies) and hole-in-one (four birdies) they will count as stated.
For more information, head to https://giving.dukechildrens.org/ways-to-give/duke-athletics-partnerships.
REIGNING CHAMPIONS
Duke is the reigning NCAA Champions as the Blue Devils won the 2019 title in Fayetteville, Ark., with a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest. The 2020 championship was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Blue Devils opened the 2019 NCAAs in fifth place, but then fired an 11-under-par, 281, to move into first overall. Duke earned the No. 2 seed in match play and went on to defeat Stanford (3-2), Arizona (3-2) and Wake Forest (3-2) to win its seventh NCAA title.
CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
Duke will travel to Arizona with only two golfers who have competed in the NCAA Championship after the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Senior
Jaravee Boonchant has competed in two championships placing tied for 27th and tied for seventh. Junior
Gina Kim placed tied for 10th in her lone championship in 2019.
TOP 10 FINISHES AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Duke owns the second-most top 10 finishes in the NCAA Championship since 2004 as the Blue Devils have totaled 13.
Top 10 Finishes Since 2004
1. Southern California 14
2. Duke 13
3. UCLA 12
4. Arizona State 10
MOST NCAA TITLES BY A COACH
Duke head coach
Dan Brooks owns seven NCAA Championships over his career with the Blue Devils. The seven titles ranks as the most by a women's golf coach in NCAA history.
Most NCAA Titles in NCAA History
1. 7
Dan Brooks, Duke
2. 5 Linda Vollstedt, Arizona State
3. 3 Mark Gale, San Jose State
3 Andrea Gaston, Southern California (now at Texas A&M)
DUKE'S 32ND NCAA APPEARANCE
The Blue Devils will be making their 32nd appearance in the NCAA Championship, which ranks tied for fourth.
NCAA All-Time Appearances
1. 36 Arizona State
2. 35 Stanford
3. 33 Southern California
4. 32 Arizona
32 Duke
32 UCLA
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Duke is currently ranked No. 2 in the latest GolfStat.com, No. 2 in the WGCA Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the Golfweek ledgers.
Individually, in the Golfweek rankings --
Erica Shepherd (13),
Gina Kim (15),
Anne Chen (56),
Phoebe Brinker (71) are in the top 75. In the GolfStat.com listing, Shepherd (11),
Jaravee Boonchant (25), Kim (34), Brinker (51) and Chen (71) are ranked.
MOST TOP 5 FINISHES
Duke owns 15 all-time top five finishes in the NCAA Championship, which ranks fourth in NCAA history.
Most NCAA Championship Top Five Finishes
1. 20 Southern California
2. 18 Arizona State
3. 17 UCLA
4. 15 Duke
COVERAGE
The Golf Channel will feature extensive coverage of the championship beginning Monday, May 24. Here is a full listing of the coverage --
Monday, May 24 - 5:00-9:00 PM: Live coverage
Tuesday, May 25 - 12:00-2:30 PM: Live coverage match play quarterfinals
5:00-9:00 PM: Live coverage match play semifinals
Wednesday, May 26 - 5:00-9:00 PM: Live coverage match play championship
Fans can also follow along on Twitter (@DukeWGOLF), Instagram (DukeWGolf) and Facebook (DukeWGolf) for coverage of the championship. Live scoring will be available via www.GolfStat.com.
IMPRESSIVE COACHES
Duke head coach
Dan Brooks was the first head coach in NCAA Division I to win both a stroke play and match play NCAA Championship. Brooks won stroke play titles in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014. He led the Blue Devils to the match play title in 2019.
Blue Devil associate head coach
Jon Whithaus is the only coach in NCAA Division I to lead both a women's (2016 & 2019) and men's (2011) program into the match play semifinals of the NCAA Championship. He has also coached both a women's and men's individual to an NCAA Individual Championship.
BOONCHANT ARRIVES
Senior
Jaravee Boonchant made her return from Thailand in March and was impressive at the Valspar Augusta Invitational with a tied for sixth finish. She collected rounds of 71, 67 and 70 for an 8-under, 208. Boonchant tied for 20th at the ACC Championship marking the third straight top-20 finish in the event.
Boonchant is a three-time All-American and currently ranks sixth on Duke's all-time charts with 52 rounds of even or under par. Her 71.95 career stroke average is the third-best in Duke history, while her 15 rounds in the 60s is tied for seventh.
A product of Bangkok, Thailand, Boonchant had remained at home in the fall and took classes online, before deciding to return to campus in March.
TRENDS/NOTES
• In the last 18 appearances at the NCAA Championship, Duke has placed in the top 10 in 16 of those. The only exceptions were a 15th place ledger in 2012 and 18th in 2017.
• Former Duke assistant coach Jan Dowling and former Blue Devil assistant coach and student-athlete
Kalen Anderson will be at the NCAA Championship in Arizona. Dowling is the head coach at Michigan and was an assistant coach with the Blue Devils for the 2008-09 campaign. Anderson is the head coach at South Carolina. She was an assistant coach at Duke from 2005-08 and played at Duke from 1998-01.
•
Gina Kim currently features four eagles on the season, which ranks tied for fourth on Duke's record charts. The record is five by
Jaravee Boonchant (2017-18), Lindy Duncan (2011-12) and Candy Hannemann (2000-01).
• Since match play started in 2015, Duke has been one of the top eight teams to advance in four of the five championships (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019). That ranks third in the NCAA -- Southern California (5), Stanford (5), Duke (4) and Arizona (3).
• Duke junior
Gina Kim went through an impressive stretch of golf in the ACC Championship and Valspar Augusta Invitational. Over the two stroke play events, Kim shot 18-under-par with four rounds in the 60s. This includes a 10-under-par, 206, at the ACC Championship as she claimed the ACC individual title and an 8-under, 208, at the Valspar Augusta Invitational.
• Five of Duke's six golfers have shot at least one round in the 60s so far this season.
• Over a span of two tournaments at the Gamecock Intercollegiate and Valspar Augusta Invitational,
Phoebe Brinker collected a 70.0 stroke average and shot 12-under-par. She finished tied for third and tied for second in those two events.
• After turning in four even or under par rounds as a freshman,
Erica Shepherd has notched nine in four tournaments so far in 2021.
• In the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings,
Gina Kim (42),
Jaravee Boonchant (63),
Erica Shepherd (75) and
Phoebe Brinker (148) are in the top 150.
• In three match play events this spring,
Jaravee Boonchant is 6-1, while
Erica Shepherd is 5-2.
•
Erica Shepherd was on the midseason ANNIKA Award watch list, which was released March 12.
•
Phoebe Brinker turned in a record-breaking Valspar Augusta Invitational. She collected a Duke freshman record lowest 18-hole score with a 64, tied the freshman record for lowest 36-hole ledger with a 135 along with Leona Maguire and tied for freshman record fifth-lowest 54-hole score (10-under, 206).
• The Blue Devils featured three golfers in the top six of Valspar Augusta Invitational -
Phoebe Brinker (T2,-10),
Jaravee Boonchant (T6, -8),
Gina Kim (T6, -8). The trio combined to shoot 26-under-par!
• Duke's 27-under-par, 837, is the third-lowest 54-hole score in NCAA Division I this season.
•
Phoebe Brinker's round of 64 is tied for the fourth-lowest 18-hole score this spring. It is also the lowest score by a freshman in 2021.
• Duke was seeded No. 1 in the Columbus Regional marking the 13th time over the last 20 regionals the Blue Devils have been a No. 1 seed. Other years the Blue Devils have been seeded No. 1 a total of 13 times -- 2019, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1993.
• The Blue Devils feature four NCAA Individual Championships, which ranks tied for third most in NCAA history -- Arizona State (6), Southern California (5), Duke (4) and Arizona (4). Duke's champions include Candy Hannemann (2001), Virada Nirapathpongporn (2002), Anna Grzebien (2005) and Virginia Elena Carta (2016).
• Duke and Arizona State are the only schools to win three straight NCAA Championships - Duke (2005-07) and Arizona State (1993-95). The Blue Devils rank second with seven NCAA titles behind Arizona State (8).
BROTHER/SISTER TANDEM
Duke sophomore
Erica Shepherd and her brother, Ethan, of Indiana are one of 10 brother/sister duos in NCAA Division I. The total amount of siblings in NCAA Division I golf is 22.
Both Erica and Ethan were selected All-Conference in 2021, becoming the only brother/sister tandem in NCAA Division I to both earn All-Conference accolades this season. Erica was selected All-ACC, while Ethan received All-Big Ten honors.
AGAINST THE TEAMS IN ARIZONA
Duke currently features a 20-3-1 head-to-head ledger against teams attending the National Championship -- Alabama (1-0), Arizona State (0-0-1), Auburn (1-0), Baylor (1-0), Florida State (2-0), Georgia (1-1), Kent State (2-0), Kentucky (2-0), LSU (1-0), Michigan (1-0), Ole Miss (1-0), South Carolina (1-1), Virginia Tech (3-0), and Wake Forest (3-1).
IN THE GOLFSTAT RANKINGS
A number of Blue Devils rank near the top in individual GolfStat.com rankings --
Gina Kim
Par 5 Scoring - 3rd, 4.60
Average Putts - 9th, 30.40
Eagles - 9th, 4
Pitts on GIR - 6th, 1.829
Erica Shepherd
Greens in Regulation - 7th, .730
Birdie Conversion - 4th, .259
Putts on GIR - 9th, 1.838
Phoebe Brinker
Greens in Regulation - 9th, .722
A full set of tournament notes are attached…