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WGolf NCAA Championship History: Third Straight NCAA Title
5/24/2020 2:23:00 PM | Women's Golf
DURHAM, N.C.— The Duke women's golf program has won seven NCAA Championships since 1999 under the direction of head coach Dan Brooks. The seven NCAA titles over the last 21 years are the most by any program in NCAA history. Over the next week, Duke will look back at each NCAA Championship along with the four NCAA individual titles.
Duke won its fifth overall NCAA Championship and third straight in 2007 as the Blue Devils won the title at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.
2007 National Champions
Daytona Beach, Fla. (LPGA International Legends Course)
Par 72, 6,351 Yards  Â
Duke 1st of 24 (1,170)
Amanda Blumenherst (70-73-74-72=289, +1, 4th)
Anna Grzebien (80-70-72-70=292, +4, 6th)
Jennie Lee (74-72-72-74=294, +6, 7th)
Jennifer Pandolfi (77-73-75-74=299, +11, T17th)
Alison Whitaker   (77-72-78-78=305, +17, T46)
Totals   300-287-293-290=1,170 (+18, 1st)
Head women's golf coach Dan Brooks has built a dynasty at Duke University and supplanted his name and the Blue Devils once again atop the women's golf nation in 2007 by taking home Duke's fifth overall and third straight NCAA Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
At the LPGA International Legends Course, Brooks guided Duke to a runaway title and matched Arizona State as the only squads to win three consecutive national championships. The Blue Devils are now only one title shy from equaling ASU's total of six championships.
The 2006-07 campaign saw a fall season that included two victories in five tournaments, including wins at the season-opening Mason Rudolph Championship and the final fall tournament, which was the NGCA Women's Collegiate Match Play Championship.
In the spring, the Blue Devils opened with a second place finish at the Wildcat Invitational, while sophomore Amanda Blumenherst heated up her play as she recorded her first of a school-record three straight victories in the spring. Duke went on to win the next two tournaments prior to collecting a fourth place tally at the Bryan National Collegiate to conclude the regular season.
Once again, the Blue Devils claimed the ACC Championship with a 35-stroke victory, which marked Duke's 12th straight ACC title. Blumenherst won her second straight ACC individual crown to become the third Blue Devil to win multiple ACC titles.
The NCAA season was set to begin in May where the Blue Devils have shined over the last eight years. Duke traveled to Baton Rouge, La., for the East Regional where they had won the 2002 East Region title.
The Blue Devils started slow as Duke was tied for 10th after day one and third place after the second round, but was still eight strokes off leader, UCLA. Duke had not played poorly the first two rounds, but just couldn't get any putts to drop. If the team was able to get putts to start falling, the day could be special.
Special was what it was on Saturday, May 12 as the Blue Devils went out and shot a school-record 16-under-par, 271, and won the regional by two strokes over UCLA. The round was catapulted by Blumenherst's NCAA record-tying nine-under-par, 63, and the other four Duke golfers each shot under par.
Duke headed to the NCAA Championship with excellent momentum coming off the 16-under-par ledger in regional action, but opened the first round in fifth place, five shots off leader Southern California. The Blue Devils were not happy with the first day of play and came back in the second round to post a team-best one-under-par, 287.
With seven birdies over the first five holes, Duke took the NCAA Championship lead just an hour and 15 minutes into the second round and would never let it go over the next three days to claim its third straight title. Leading Duke's charge over the final three days of play was the lone senior on the squad, Anna Grzebien.
After opening the tournament with an 80, Grzebien lit a fire under herself and posted rounds of 70, 72 and 70 to finish in sixth place. Grzebien, the 2005 NCAA Individual Champion, was bound and determined to close her career with three consecutive titles.
Duke led by seven strokes after two rounds and eight strokes after three days of play. The Blue Devils never let down and carded a remarkable 15-stroke victory even though the field had to battle wind gusts the entire week of 10-25 miles per hour and a very difficult course.
When the final round was done, the Blue Devils collected three golfers in the top seven of the individual race as Blumenherst was fourth, Grzebien was sixth and sophomore Jennie Lee was tied for seventh. Junior Jennifer Pandolfi added a 17th place finish, while freshman Alison Whitaker was 46th. Lee's seventh place finish marked her second straight top-10 ledger in two appearances in the NCAA Championship.
With the tremendous coaching job, Brooks was tabbed NGCA National Coach of the Year and Blumenherst received her second straight PING NGCA College Player of the Year award. This came after posting a school-record 71.00 stroke average on the season.
#GoDuke
NCAA Championship Quotes
Head Coach Dan Brooks
On winning three-in-a-row:
"It feels really good. This team, we were ranked second for a lot of the year and not that we pay a lot of attention to that ? all that tells you is there was a lot of parity in this particular year. There were some really good teams. Purdue beat us at Bryant National. I really respect them for that win. We were playing in really nasty weather and they got out there and were extremely tough. I think they won and we finished fourth. We knew that we were up against some tough teams. I was not surprised Purdue was one of the teams and also UCLA, we beat them at Regionals, but it was good golf they were playing there. I was not surprised that the two teams I saw this spring that were really, really tough were the two with us there in the last pairing. And they didn't go away.
"We were eight shots up and after the first nine, it was still about the same. I felt like we were playing pretty well and they were just staying right there. That gave me a good feeling to know that we were the same after the turn because I felt like we were a solid enough team and that we make enough good choices that we could have an eight-shot gap going into the backside and that we could sustain the lead all the way to the end. It was not comfortable, it was not like we could relax. They are good enough to where if that had slipped to half, now you are going to the back thinking this could go the other way."
Did you all talk about the three-peat much this season?
"The neat thing about this team is we did not give that any air time at all. We didn't' talk about that. I think they love the game of golf and golf is all about one shot at a time. So, if you just have people that love to play, you don't get terribly hung up on what it means. What it means is you hit a great shot and it felt good. That is what it means. And you have the smile because you had a great hole or whatever. If you can stay in the present and enjoy it for that, then you don't get to terribly caught up in the other stuff."
What does the three-peat mean to you and its place in history?
"I always respected what Linda and the Arizona State Sun Devils did. That was always impressive. So, to be doing a similar kind of thing, you know she still has more wins than me, so I am inspired to keep going, not for that reason, but because I love what I do. I just like the process. I love what I do and I love the players I get to be associated with. You know from watching people like Anna (Grzebien) grow from being a touch on the immature side as she came in to being one of the best leaders we have ever had. She just leads this team. It is always hard to see someone like Anna leave because I feel like we have become really close, but that is why I do it. It's not so much about the three-peat, but it's nice. I enjoy it."
Talk about the play of Anna the last three days after an opening-round 80?
"You don't want to give Anna a reason to start burning inside and that is what that 80 did. She shot the 80, fortunately the way they set college golf up, we get to throw it out and who knows that 80 might have almost been a positive because the burn that came from that propelled her to do the rest of it. She could have shot a 60-something that first round and still did the same thing, but she is the type of person that is going to get fueled by something like that. She is going to be fueled by a bad round and there is know way she is going to let that define this tournament."
Sophomore Amanda Blumenherst
On the three-peat:
"Duke has a great tradition in women's golf and it is amazing to be a part of it and continue that tradition. So, coming out here and getting the three-peat that has only been done by one other school is a great honor and a great achievement."
On her own tournament:
"It was hard out there. It was a grind. I think I could have hit my tee ball a little bit better. I think if I could work on anything, usually that is a strong point of my game. I hit my irons very solid and my fairway woods. And, I was putting well. So, it was few things here and there, but I felt like I played well and helped the team a bit."
On senior Anna Grzebien and what she means to the program:
"She is an amazing part of the team. She is a great leader and a great team captain. It is definitely going to be a sad loss for our team next year when we don't have her. She did a great job this year and just showing that she went four-under the last three rounds show what an amazing captain she is."
Senior Anna Grzebien
Can you talk about the course conditions today?
"At first it wasn't too bad, it was just the wind and once the rain came I thought it was going to be a downpour. But it ended up not being too bad. Like the other days the wind just picked up and it just swirled out here, so it was tough to commit to your shots. It was a test."
On bouncing back from a poor-opening round to close out so strong:
"I wanted to end my career on a high note. After the first day I was not a happy camper and that fired me up more. I just dug my heels in and wanted to go out with a team championship. And when you come to this tournament, you have to come to play. If you waste too many shots, people will come up and take it away from you. I just took it one shot at a time and it worked out."
As a senior, did you say anything to the team before the round?
"We don't do a lot of it, I'm not really a motivational speaker. That's the way this team is, we are all such close friends that just having each other's support, we all know that we are all there for each other. We just tried to relax last night, enjoy ourselves and everyone seemed pretty calm today."
Duke won its fifth overall NCAA Championship and third straight in 2007 as the Blue Devils won the title at the LPGA International Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla.
2007 National Champions
Daytona Beach, Fla. (LPGA International Legends Course)
Par 72, 6,351 Yards  Â
Duke 1st of 24 (1,170)
Amanda Blumenherst (70-73-74-72=289, +1, 4th)
Anna Grzebien (80-70-72-70=292, +4, 6th)
Jennie Lee (74-72-72-74=294, +6, 7th)
Jennifer Pandolfi (77-73-75-74=299, +11, T17th)
Alison Whitaker   (77-72-78-78=305, +17, T46)
Totals   300-287-293-290=1,170 (+18, 1st)
Head women's golf coach Dan Brooks has built a dynasty at Duke University and supplanted his name and the Blue Devils once again atop the women's golf nation in 2007 by taking home Duke's fifth overall and third straight NCAA Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
At the LPGA International Legends Course, Brooks guided Duke to a runaway title and matched Arizona State as the only squads to win three consecutive national championships. The Blue Devils are now only one title shy from equaling ASU's total of six championships.
The 2006-07 campaign saw a fall season that included two victories in five tournaments, including wins at the season-opening Mason Rudolph Championship and the final fall tournament, which was the NGCA Women's Collegiate Match Play Championship.
In the spring, the Blue Devils opened with a second place finish at the Wildcat Invitational, while sophomore Amanda Blumenherst heated up her play as she recorded her first of a school-record three straight victories in the spring. Duke went on to win the next two tournaments prior to collecting a fourth place tally at the Bryan National Collegiate to conclude the regular season.
Once again, the Blue Devils claimed the ACC Championship with a 35-stroke victory, which marked Duke's 12th straight ACC title. Blumenherst won her second straight ACC individual crown to become the third Blue Devil to win multiple ACC titles.
The NCAA season was set to begin in May where the Blue Devils have shined over the last eight years. Duke traveled to Baton Rouge, La., for the East Regional where they had won the 2002 East Region title.
The Blue Devils started slow as Duke was tied for 10th after day one and third place after the second round, but was still eight strokes off leader, UCLA. Duke had not played poorly the first two rounds, but just couldn't get any putts to drop. If the team was able to get putts to start falling, the day could be special.
Special was what it was on Saturday, May 12 as the Blue Devils went out and shot a school-record 16-under-par, 271, and won the regional by two strokes over UCLA. The round was catapulted by Blumenherst's NCAA record-tying nine-under-par, 63, and the other four Duke golfers each shot under par.
Duke headed to the NCAA Championship with excellent momentum coming off the 16-under-par ledger in regional action, but opened the first round in fifth place, five shots off leader Southern California. The Blue Devils were not happy with the first day of play and came back in the second round to post a team-best one-under-par, 287.
With seven birdies over the first five holes, Duke took the NCAA Championship lead just an hour and 15 minutes into the second round and would never let it go over the next three days to claim its third straight title. Leading Duke's charge over the final three days of play was the lone senior on the squad, Anna Grzebien.
After opening the tournament with an 80, Grzebien lit a fire under herself and posted rounds of 70, 72 and 70 to finish in sixth place. Grzebien, the 2005 NCAA Individual Champion, was bound and determined to close her career with three consecutive titles.
Duke led by seven strokes after two rounds and eight strokes after three days of play. The Blue Devils never let down and carded a remarkable 15-stroke victory even though the field had to battle wind gusts the entire week of 10-25 miles per hour and a very difficult course.
When the final round was done, the Blue Devils collected three golfers in the top seven of the individual race as Blumenherst was fourth, Grzebien was sixth and sophomore Jennie Lee was tied for seventh. Junior Jennifer Pandolfi added a 17th place finish, while freshman Alison Whitaker was 46th. Lee's seventh place finish marked her second straight top-10 ledger in two appearances in the NCAA Championship.
With the tremendous coaching job, Brooks was tabbed NGCA National Coach of the Year and Blumenherst received her second straight PING NGCA College Player of the Year award. This came after posting a school-record 71.00 stroke average on the season.
#GoDuke
NCAA Championship Quotes
Head Coach Dan Brooks
On winning three-in-a-row:
"It feels really good. This team, we were ranked second for a lot of the year and not that we pay a lot of attention to that ? all that tells you is there was a lot of parity in this particular year. There were some really good teams. Purdue beat us at Bryant National. I really respect them for that win. We were playing in really nasty weather and they got out there and were extremely tough. I think they won and we finished fourth. We knew that we were up against some tough teams. I was not surprised Purdue was one of the teams and also UCLA, we beat them at Regionals, but it was good golf they were playing there. I was not surprised that the two teams I saw this spring that were really, really tough were the two with us there in the last pairing. And they didn't go away.
"We were eight shots up and after the first nine, it was still about the same. I felt like we were playing pretty well and they were just staying right there. That gave me a good feeling to know that we were the same after the turn because I felt like we were a solid enough team and that we make enough good choices that we could have an eight-shot gap going into the backside and that we could sustain the lead all the way to the end. It was not comfortable, it was not like we could relax. They are good enough to where if that had slipped to half, now you are going to the back thinking this could go the other way."
Did you all talk about the three-peat much this season?
"The neat thing about this team is we did not give that any air time at all. We didn't' talk about that. I think they love the game of golf and golf is all about one shot at a time. So, if you just have people that love to play, you don't get terribly hung up on what it means. What it means is you hit a great shot and it felt good. That is what it means. And you have the smile because you had a great hole or whatever. If you can stay in the present and enjoy it for that, then you don't get to terribly caught up in the other stuff."
What does the three-peat mean to you and its place in history?
"I always respected what Linda and the Arizona State Sun Devils did. That was always impressive. So, to be doing a similar kind of thing, you know she still has more wins than me, so I am inspired to keep going, not for that reason, but because I love what I do. I just like the process. I love what I do and I love the players I get to be associated with. You know from watching people like Anna (Grzebien) grow from being a touch on the immature side as she came in to being one of the best leaders we have ever had. She just leads this team. It is always hard to see someone like Anna leave because I feel like we have become really close, but that is why I do it. It's not so much about the three-peat, but it's nice. I enjoy it."
Talk about the play of Anna the last three days after an opening-round 80?
"You don't want to give Anna a reason to start burning inside and that is what that 80 did. She shot the 80, fortunately the way they set college golf up, we get to throw it out and who knows that 80 might have almost been a positive because the burn that came from that propelled her to do the rest of it. She could have shot a 60-something that first round and still did the same thing, but she is the type of person that is going to get fueled by something like that. She is going to be fueled by a bad round and there is know way she is going to let that define this tournament."
Sophomore Amanda Blumenherst
On the three-peat:
"Duke has a great tradition in women's golf and it is amazing to be a part of it and continue that tradition. So, coming out here and getting the three-peat that has only been done by one other school is a great honor and a great achievement."
On her own tournament:
"It was hard out there. It was a grind. I think I could have hit my tee ball a little bit better. I think if I could work on anything, usually that is a strong point of my game. I hit my irons very solid and my fairway woods. And, I was putting well. So, it was few things here and there, but I felt like I played well and helped the team a bit."
On senior Anna Grzebien and what she means to the program:
"She is an amazing part of the team. She is a great leader and a great team captain. It is definitely going to be a sad loss for our team next year when we don't have her. She did a great job this year and just showing that she went four-under the last three rounds show what an amazing captain she is."
Senior Anna Grzebien
Can you talk about the course conditions today?
"At first it wasn't too bad, it was just the wind and once the rain came I thought it was going to be a downpour. But it ended up not being too bad. Like the other days the wind just picked up and it just swirled out here, so it was tough to commit to your shots. It was a test."
On bouncing back from a poor-opening round to close out so strong:
"I wanted to end my career on a high note. After the first day I was not a happy camper and that fired me up more. I just dug my heels in and wanted to go out with a team championship. And when you come to this tournament, you have to come to play. If you waste too many shots, people will come up and take it away from you. I just took it one shot at a time and it worked out."
As a senior, did you say anything to the team before the round?
"We don't do a lot of it, I'm not really a motivational speaker. That's the way this team is, we are all such close friends that just having each other's support, we all know that we are all there for each other. We just tried to relax last night, enjoy ourselves and everyone seemed pretty calm today."
Andie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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Karcher-Ingram Golf Center Facility Tour
Friday, October 03
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