Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Sea Best Intercollegiate on January 26, 2026
Women's Golf
vs Sea Best Intercollegiate
Blue Devils Jump Out To Early Lead In NCAA East Regional
5/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
ATHENS, GA.? Led by under-par rounds from freshman Kim Donovan and Amanda Blumenherst, the top-ranked and top-seeded Duke women's golf team jumped out to a five-stroke lead after day one of the NCAA East Regionals on Thursday at the 6,335-Yard, Par 72 University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
The Blue Devils carded a three-under-par, 285, on their way to a five-stroke advantage over Florida (290). Rounding out the top five were South Carolina (291), which is coached by former Duke All-America and assistant coach Kalen Anderson, Furman (292) and Louisville (293). The three-under-par ledger for Duke is 29 strokes better than its first round score in the Liz Murphey Collegiate on March 21. The Blue Devils went on to shoot rounds of 314, 300 and 304 to finish tied for fifth.
“We had a very good, patient approach to this course today,” said Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks. “I think that is what we learned last time. We came into this quite prepared. I am very glad we played this golf course earlier as it set us up mentally more than anything to be ready for it. I have a lot of respect for this golf course. It is a good track.”
The Blue Devils got off to a very hot start and were eight-under-par as a team through seven holes. Both Donovan and sophomore Alison Whitaker were three-under-par, while Blumenherst was two-under-par. As a team, Duke fired 16 birdies on the day.
“It is great that the team is doing well and we had a good start because this is a pretty important tournament and a great momentum builder for nationals,” said Blumenherst.
Carding her best round as a collegian was Donovan, who registered a two-under-par, 70. A native of Hopkinton, Mass., Donovan turned in a career-best six birdies on the day, which was tied for a team-best. She opened her round with a bogey, but came back to post birdies on four out of the next six holes to move to three-under-par. The streak included a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 2 and a 35-foot birdie putt on the seventh hole. Donovan closed the front with a par on the eighth and a bogey on No. 9 to make the turn with a two-under-par, 33.
“I putted pretty well on the front and made a lot of one-putts,” said Donovan. “I hit my irons pretty close and I was hitting the ball well, even if I missed the fairways or greens it was by just a little bit. I was able to get up and down for the most part even though I did have four bogeys, which was a little bit of a putting issue on the back.”
Donovan, who stands 5-6, responded well from the bogey on the nighth with a birdie on the 388-yard, par four 10th hole. She then could not get up-and-down from the sand on the 11th and suffered her third bogey of the day. Donovan rang off four straight pars before going bogey, birdie on No. 16 and No. 17, respectively. She closed the day with a par and is tied for fifth in the individual action.
“I am very excited for Kim,” commented Brooks on her first round. “She has been working really hard on her game. She and her teacher have done a good job.”
Continuing to play stellar golf for the Blue Devils is Blumenherst, who is the reigning two-time National Player of the Year. She produced a four-under-par, 68, on Thursday and is tied for second, individually. Collecting a five-under-par, 67, on day one to take the individual lead was Louisville's Sara-Maude Juneau. Blumenherst is tied for second along with South Carolina's Benedicte Toumpsin.
“It is great,” said Blumenherst on getting off to a good start. “It definitely helped us that we had played here earlier [in the season]. I was much more confident in the greens knowing where to hit on them because they are very slopey and tricky. You have to know where to hit on them and position yourself. I also had the speed down, which really helped.”
A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Blumenherst kicked off her round with a bogey on the first hole before notching two straight pars. She made par on the par-three third hole as she rolled in a six-foot putt, which gave her some momentum going into the rest of the front nine. Blumenherst used that momentum well as she rang off three consecutive birdies to move to two-under-par, which included a 20-foot downhill birdie putt on No. 5.
“The course is playing different where the greens aren't as firm and there is a little more rough around the greens,” said Blumenherst on comparing the course conditions now from when the team was in Athens during March. “Everything was dormant when we came here and that made it difficult, especially chipping. It has changed a little bit in the fact that the grass has grown in and the greens are softer.”
Blumenherst went on to make the turn with a two-under-par, 33, and started her back nine with a par, bogey and a par. She collected two straight birdies on No. 13 and No. 14, which featured a near hole-in-one on the 132-Yard, par-three 13th. Blumenherst hit a 9-iron just over the pin and came back down the slope to stop within a foot. She closed with two pars, a birdie on No. 17 and a par on the 18th. On the day, she hit 12 fairways, 15 greens and had 29 putts.
With only two collegiate golf events remaining in her career, senior Jennifer Pandolfi continues to play solid golf as she fired an even-par, 72, and is tied for 10th. One of three Duke golfers to bogey the first hole, Pandolfi responded with her lone birdie of the day on the 376-Yard, par-four second hole. She totaled a key up-and-down to save bogey on the first hole as well. On the day, Pandolfi hit 11-of-14 fairways, 13 greens and registered 12 putts on the front nine and 18 on the back. She posted 16 straight pars to close out the day.
Whitaker had one wild ride on Thursday as she notched three birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey to finish with a three-over-par, 75. She enters day two tied for 31st in the individual action. After posting pars on the first two holes, Whitaker notched back-to-back birdies on No. 3 and No. 4 to move to two-under-par. On the 178-Yard, par-three third hole, she hit a 4-iron within two feet and knocked in the birdie putt. Whitaker then rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the next hole before totaling pars on the next two. On the first par-five of the day, No. 7, she hit her second shot into the greenside buncker and had a very nice up-and-down to move to three-under-par. Whitaker could not get up-and-down on No. 8 and made the turn at two-under-par, 33.
The back nine is where she struggled as the wind started kicking up. Whitaker hit her drive on No. 10 down the left side and had to hit her approach shot into the bunker next to the green. After a very unlucky lie in the sand, Whitaker went on to suffer a double-bogey. For the rest of the day, she had five pars and three bogeys to finish with a 75.
Junior Jennie Lee struggled for most of the day as she finished with a 79. A Henderson, Nev., product, Lee started off slow hitting sand traps in four out of the first five holes. She made the turn at five-over-par, 40, but came back to play the final nine holes at two-over-par with seven pars and two bogeys. Lee is tied for 74th, individually.
Duke will tee off on Friday beginning at 1:20 p.m., off the 10th hole along with Florida and Georgia.
Duke Notes:
* Kim Donovan hit 11-of-14 fairways, 13 greens and had 28 putts. She previously shot a tournament-best, 72, in the Mason Rudolph Championship and the Liz Murphey Collegiate.
* Amanda Blumenherst totaled her 12th round in the 60s this season.
* Jennifer Pandolfi hit all seven fairways and all nine greens on the back nine in her round.
* As a team, Duke totaled 11 of 16 birdies on the front nine.
* On the back nine, the wind picked up to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to approximately 30 mph.
* The top eight teams will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will take place May 20-23 in Albuquerque, N.M.
* Duke has won the NCAA East Regional seven different times.
* The Blue Devils are the reigning three-time defending NCAA Champions and have won a total of five NCAA Championships.
Duke Golfers
Amanda Blumenherst 68 (-4, t2nd)
Jennifer Pandolfi 72 (E, t10th)
Alison Whitaker 75 (+3, t31)
Jennie Lee 79 (+7, t74)
Kim Donovan 70 (-2, t5th)
- d - u - k - e -
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's Golf
PLAYER
/ Women's GolfKarcher-Ingram Golf Center Facility Tour
Friday, October 03
Anna Grzebien Hall of Fame Feature
Saturday, November 02
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
