Completed Event: Women's Golf versus NCAA Championship on May 22, 2026 , , 7th in Stroke Play; Quarterfinals of Match Play
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Final
Women's Golf
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Blumenherst Makes Mark On And Off The Golf Course
1/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
By Katherine Hande, Sports Information Student Assistant
DURHAM, N.C. - Amanda Blumenherst is the kind of athlete every school dreams about. For one thing, she's about the best there is in her sport. The 2005-06 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Player and Freshman of the Year, Blumenherst garnered virtually every award available in her rookie year.
She played a near perfect freshman season, making her mark in the Duke record books early on when she became the first Duke golfer to begin her collegiate career with nine-consecutive rounds of even or under par. The ACC Player and Freshman of the Year, Blumenherst notched the lowest stroke average by a Duke freshman (71.62), including nine top-five, 11 top-10, and 11 top-20 finishes in 11 tournaments.
Blumenherst, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., was selected winner of the Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award as the nation's top golfer with the highest grade-point-average, while also earning ACC honor roll accolades.
She was a key factor in earning Duke's first ever back-to-back national titles in women's golf, and fourth title in school history (1999, 2002, 2005, 2006). The major disappointment was a ninth place finish at the NCAA Championships, an achievement which would have been the capstone for most of her freshmen peers.
So she's got that going for her. But what makes this young woman especially remarkable is her performance ? and attitude ? off the course. She's managed to maintain a 3.783 grade point average at one of the premier institutions in the nation. Although technically Duke students don't have to declare a major until the spring of the sophomore year, Blumenherst is already well on her way toward earning a bachelor's degree in European History.
She also sits on the executive committee of the Student Athletics Advisory Council (SAAC), a group composed of undergraduate student-athletes representing each varsity team at Duke. In addition to advising the Department of Athletics on various issues, SAAC members coordinate various service opportunities in the Durham area, including the Winter Fun Day, an annual afternoon in which SAAC hosts middle schoolers for sports clinics and a day with Duke athletes.
This year, Blumenherst took the helm of Project Share; SAAC's other major annual service project. “We adopted 37 people from the Durham area,” she describes, “five or six families. Each person received up to $50 (in gifts) so we had to raise money for that from the student body within the athletic department. Each athlete was supposed to raise or donate three dollars.”
In addition to collecting the funds, Blumenherst and two others took on the daunting task of buying and sorting all the gifts. “[Teammate] Yu Young-Lee, myself, and [Director of Student-Athlete Development] Leslie Barnes went shopping at Target. Next year we're going to get a lot more people to do it because it took such a long time. Thirty-seven people to shop for? It was crazy.”
Afterward, the three brought the gifts back to the women's golf facility for a team wrapping party. “It was a lot of work,” she recalls, “but it was fun, too, and it puts you in the holiday spirit.”
Such efforts are typical of Blumenherst's work ethic and commitment to community service. “You have to recognize that golf ? or your sport ? isn't everything. You've got so much else, like helping out in your community or your family and friends. It's just great to practice that in high school and college, keeping your priorities straight.
“I think it's so important to be well-rounded, and not just be focusing on a sport or on academics. I want to have balance. So taking part in community service, volunteering at the church in the nursery, or Project Share, it's great to have a balance in your life. For me it's being able to not have one aspect of my life dominate all the other ones. It makes a well-rounded foundation.”
Looking toward the spring season, Blumenherst is trying not to worry too much about repeating last year's performance.
“During the fall it was hard because I had done so well last year that the expectations were high,” she recalls. “Repeating that would have been a challenge. Going into the fall, I almost put a little too much pressure on myself, so going into the spring, I'm just going to go out and pretend that I'm a freshman again, going out and trying to do the best I can. I want to not think about what I did last year but just focus on this year.”
That said, she admits it would be nice to improve on her ninth place NCAA finish from last year. And, of course, there's the matter of the team title. Returning all but one member of their 2006 NCAA Championship roster, the Blue Devils are poised to make a run for a third consecutive title. When asked what goal is most on the team's mind these days, she doesn't miss a beat. “Definitely a team three-peat.”
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
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