Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Windy City Collegiate Classic on September 29, 2025
Women's Golf
vs Windy City Collegiate Classic
Wednesday, October 30
Atlanta, Ga.
All Day
Duke University
vs
Day Three at East Lake Cup
Erica Shepherd
Photo by: Clyde Click
Blue Devils Close East Lake Cup Action
10/30/2019 3:18:00 PM | Women's Golf
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Duke University women's golf tandem of senior Ana Belac and freshman Erica Shepherd collected match play victories Wednesday, but the Blue Devils dropped a 3-2 decision to Arizona to close the East Lake Cup at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga.
"I'm reflecting on that right now," commented Duke head coach Dan Brooks on what the Blue Devils will take away from the East Lake Cup. "We're going to have a meeting in a couple hours and let everybody get out of their wet clothes and relax. There's a lot to reflect on. We didn't have a great fall, but we have a great group and there's some things that we definitely could have done better by this time in the latter part of the fall. We could have had ourselves in better shape and I fault myself for that. We'll be ready to go in the spring."
Making their third appearance in the East Lake Cup, the Blue Devils earned the No. 1 seed in stroke play, but dropped two straight 3-2 matches to close action. Duke had won the East Lake Cup in its previous appearance in 2016.
"I was really excited to get here and try to close the fall season out on a good note," said Shepherd. "I was pretty disappointed about the previous tournaments. I really prepared well and match play always gets me excited and tends to bring out my best golf."
After great weather the first two days, the golfers were treated to steady rain for most of the round.
Belac collected seven birdies on the day and earned a 2&1 victory over Gile Bite Starkute. A product of Portoroz, Slovenia, Belac opened her day with a birdie on No. 10 and led by as many as 2-UP through five holes. Bite Starkute would go on to win two straight holes to even the match, but Belac came back to birdie No. 18 to take a 1-UP lead onto the final nine holes. She would not trail the rest of the match winning holes No. 3 and No. 4 to go ahead 3-UP.
After tying for first in the stroke play portion, Belac now improves to 6-4-1 all time in collegiate match play.
Finishing off a solid week with a 2-0 record in her first match play as a Blue Devil, Shepherd downed Sandra Nordaas, 4&3. Shepherd, who is from Greenwood, Ind., took the first lead of the match with a par on the 164-yard, par three 11th. Nordaas would come back with a birdie on the next hole to move the match back to all square. Shepherd won holes No. 16 and No. 17 and never trailed the rest of the match. She went 2-UP with a par on No. 2 and then closed the match on No. 5 with another par.
"I think the rain just kind of helped me focus less on my swing and on what was happening with the elements," said Shepherd. "I think the round went by pretty fast and I was able to maintain my lead. Then towards the end just kind of finished the match and called it a fall season."
After turning in an impressive victory the day before, junior Jaravee Boonchant struggled to open her match and would fall behind by six through 11 holes. Boonchant, a two-time All-America selection, would not back down as she won No. 3 to trail by five with six holes remaining against Vivian Hou. Both golfers would par the fourth hole and then Boonchant continued to rally.
A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Boonchant parred the fifth hole and then rolled in a seven-foot birdie on the 471-yard, par five sixth to trail by three with three holes remaining. Boonchant parred No. 7 and Hou bogied and the Duke junior trailed by two. On the 373-yard, par four eighth, Boonchant's drive went out of bounds and she would drop the hole to close out the match, 3&1.
Duke's Gina Kim and Miranda Wang each struggled Wednesday dropping their matches. Kim fell, 3&2, to Therese Warner, while Ya Chun Chang collected a 5&4 win over Wang.
Wake Forest defeated Auburn, 4-1, to win the 2019 East Lake Cup.
"We lost and then we lost," added Brooks. "Overall that wasn't great. It was nice to get that little stroke play victory but that sort of tells you how good you are and then you go and lose the next two days. That's not any of our favorite thing to do. We have to regroup and be ready for the spring."
The Blue Devils will be off until Feb. 9-11 when they will travel to the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif.
#GoDuke
"I'm reflecting on that right now," commented Duke head coach Dan Brooks on what the Blue Devils will take away from the East Lake Cup. "We're going to have a meeting in a couple hours and let everybody get out of their wet clothes and relax. There's a lot to reflect on. We didn't have a great fall, but we have a great group and there's some things that we definitely could have done better by this time in the latter part of the fall. We could have had ourselves in better shape and I fault myself for that. We'll be ready to go in the spring."
Making their third appearance in the East Lake Cup, the Blue Devils earned the No. 1 seed in stroke play, but dropped two straight 3-2 matches to close action. Duke had won the East Lake Cup in its previous appearance in 2016.
"I was really excited to get here and try to close the fall season out on a good note," said Shepherd. "I was pretty disappointed about the previous tournaments. I really prepared well and match play always gets me excited and tends to bring out my best golf."
After great weather the first two days, the golfers were treated to steady rain for most of the round.
Belac collected seven birdies on the day and earned a 2&1 victory over Gile Bite Starkute. A product of Portoroz, Slovenia, Belac opened her day with a birdie on No. 10 and led by as many as 2-UP through five holes. Bite Starkute would go on to win two straight holes to even the match, but Belac came back to birdie No. 18 to take a 1-UP lead onto the final nine holes. She would not trail the rest of the match winning holes No. 3 and No. 4 to go ahead 3-UP.
After tying for first in the stroke play portion, Belac now improves to 6-4-1 all time in collegiate match play.
Finishing off a solid week with a 2-0 record in her first match play as a Blue Devil, Shepherd downed Sandra Nordaas, 4&3. Shepherd, who is from Greenwood, Ind., took the first lead of the match with a par on the 164-yard, par three 11th. Nordaas would come back with a birdie on the next hole to move the match back to all square. Shepherd won holes No. 16 and No. 17 and never trailed the rest of the match. She went 2-UP with a par on No. 2 and then closed the match on No. 5 with another par.
"I think the rain just kind of helped me focus less on my swing and on what was happening with the elements," said Shepherd. "I think the round went by pretty fast and I was able to maintain my lead. Then towards the end just kind of finished the match and called it a fall season."
After turning in an impressive victory the day before, junior Jaravee Boonchant struggled to open her match and would fall behind by six through 11 holes. Boonchant, a two-time All-America selection, would not back down as she won No. 3 to trail by five with six holes remaining against Vivian Hou. Both golfers would par the fourth hole and then Boonchant continued to rally.
A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Boonchant parred the fifth hole and then rolled in a seven-foot birdie on the 471-yard, par five sixth to trail by three with three holes remaining. Boonchant parred No. 7 and Hou bogied and the Duke junior trailed by two. On the 373-yard, par four eighth, Boonchant's drive went out of bounds and she would drop the hole to close out the match, 3&1.
Duke's Gina Kim and Miranda Wang each struggled Wednesday dropping their matches. Kim fell, 3&2, to Therese Warner, while Ya Chun Chang collected a 5&4 win over Wang.
Wake Forest defeated Auburn, 4-1, to win the 2019 East Lake Cup.
"We lost and then we lost," added Brooks. "Overall that wasn't great. It was nice to get that little stroke play victory but that sort of tells you how good you are and then you go and lose the next two days. That's not any of our favorite thing to do. We have to regroup and be ready for the spring."
The Blue Devils will be off until Feb. 9-11 when they will travel to the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif.
#GoDuke
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