Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Sea Best Intercollegiate on January 26, 2026
Women's Golf
vs Sea Best Intercollegiate
Saturday, April 17
Greensboro, N.C. (Sedgefield Country Club)
Duke University
vs
ACC Championship
Photo by: Lindy Brown, Duke Communications
Duke Defeats Virginia to Advance to ACC Championship Match
4/17/2021 6:27:00 PM | Women's Golf
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Head coach Dan Brooks and the Duke women's golf team will play for a 22nd ACC Championship on Sunday as the top-seeded Blue Devils defeated Virginia, 3-2, to advance to the title match at the ACC Championship, which is being played at the 6,132-yard, par-72 Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
"You have to be careful to not judge the putts too harshly, because it didn't seem like we made a lot of putts today, but we won and the putts are hard to make," said Brooks. "Key putts are being made. You just sort of wish to see a little more, but we pulled it off."
Duke will face third-seeded Florida State, after the Seminoles knocked off second-seeded Wake Forest, 4-1. The Blue Devils and Seminoles will tee off in Sunday's championship match beginning at 9 a.m., with the action aired live on ACC Network Extra.
"It is great," said Brooks on advancing to the title match. "They have done a great job of running this event. I love the fact that they have added match play. It is like a little rehearsal for nationals. It has a feel of a national championship and that is what we were hoping to do with a conference tournament."
Looking for its sixth ACC title over the last nine years, Duke has won 21 ACC Championships, including 20 under the direction of Brooks. The Blue Devils will be playing for their fourth at Sedgefield Country Club.
In Saturday's match, Duke got off to a hot start taking the early lead in all five contests. The Cavaliers made a comeback and would take the lead in three of the five matches.
Going off first for the Blue Devils was freshman Phoebe Brinker against Riley Smyth. Brinker took the early 1UP lead with a par on hole No. 1, but Smyth came back to win holes No. 4 and No. 6 to go ahead 1UP. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., would go on to win the next two holes to regain the 1UP lead and would never trail the rest of the way.
Leading 2UP, Brinker rolled in a key 5-foot par putt on No. 11 to tie the hole and then lipped out for birdie on No. 13. She faced two 7-foot, downhill birdie putts on No. 14 and No. 15 and rolled both in to go ahead 3UP. Brinker closed the match on the par-3 16th with a 4&2 score as Smyth hit her tee shot in the water.
Fellow Duke freshman Anne Chen shot 4-under-par through 15 holes against Celeste Valinho and never trailed posting a 5&3 victory to put Duke ahead 2-0. Chen, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, hit 12-of-15 greens and had only 13 putts on the front nine as she built a 3UP lead through nine holes. She closed the match out on the par-5 15th as she hit her second shot onto the green and had a 17-foot eagle putt. Chen missed the putt, but had a tap-in birdie to win the match.
Sophomore Erica Shepherd birdied the first hole in her match against Beth Lillie and led for the first three holes, before Lillie birdied No. 4 to tie the score. On No. 5, Shepherd got unlucky as her approach shot went up near the lip of the bunker and she was not able to get her next attempt on the green, before eventually losing the hole. Shepherd, who hails from Greenwood, Ind., dropped holes No. 9 and No. 10 to fall behind by three and Lillie would eventually win 4&2.
With Duke leading 2-1, recently crowned ACC Individual Champion Gina Kim was having a tight match with Jennifer Cleary. Kim, a product of Chapel Hill, N.C., led by as many as 2UP through seven holes, but Cleary won holes No. 8 and No. 9 to send the match to the back nine all tied up. Kim would go on to shoot 4-under-par over the next seven holes and clinch the victory for Duke with a 3&2 ledger.
The No. 13 hole was a key momentum shift as Kim hit her drive into the ground-under-repair area near the trees. She took relief, punched out to 18-feet from the cup and drained the birdie to win the hole and take a 1UP lead. Kim parred No. 15 to win the hole and then hit her 9-iron from 132 yards to a few feet for birdie to win the match.
"At the beginning, it was a little bit of a struggle," said Kim. "I gave up some shots and it was a little frustrating to be honest. Once we got to the back nine, I got a new perspective, set my mind straight and tried to keep pushing forward. A lot of birdie opportunities came up so it was nice to finish my match with a 3&2 win."
With Duke already clinching the win, senior Jaravee Boonchant's contest against Virginia Bossi ended up going to extra holes. Boonchant, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, led for six of the nine holes on the front nine, but the match was tied for seven holes on the back. Both golfers parred the first playoff hole, but Boonchant suffered a bogey on the second to fall in 20 holes.
"It is so exciting," said Kim about the team advancing to the championship. "I am so glad we are able to keep on playing and be in this position. I also think it is a testament to how hard all of us have worked to get to this point. I am looking forward to tomorrow."
Match Play Pairings - Championship
9:00 a.m. – Phoebe Brinker (DU) vs. Amelia Williamson (FSU)
9:10 a.m. – Jaravee Boonchant (DU) vs. Taylor Roberts (FSU)
9:20 a.m. – Gina Kim (DU) vs. Beatrice Wallin (FSU)
9:30 a.m. – Anne Chen (DU) vs. Charlotte Heath (FSU)
9:40 a.m. – Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Alice Hodge (FSU)
Match Play Results – Semifinals
#3 Florida State 4, #2 Wake Forest 1
Amelia Williamson (FSU) def. Siyun Liu (WF), 2&1
Lauren Walsh (WF) def. Charlotte Heath (FSU), 2 Up
Alice Hodge (FSU) def. Mimi Rhodes (WF), 4&3
Taylor Roberts (FSU) def. Rachel Kuehn (WF), 1 Up (24 holes)
Beatrice Wallin (FSU) def. Emilia Migliaccio (WF), 2 Up
#1 Duke 3, #4 Virginia 2
Phoebe Brinker (DUKE) def. Riley Smyth (UVA), 4&2
Virginia Bossi (UVA) def. Jaravee Boonchant (DUKE), 1 Up (20 holes)
Anne Chen (DUKE) def. Celeste Valinho (UVA), 5&3
Beth Lillie (UVA) def. Erica Shepherd (DUKE), 4&2
Gina Kim (DUKE) def. Jennifer Cleary (UVA), 3&2
#GoDuke
"You have to be careful to not judge the putts too harshly, because it didn't seem like we made a lot of putts today, but we won and the putts are hard to make," said Brooks. "Key putts are being made. You just sort of wish to see a little more, but we pulled it off."
Duke will face third-seeded Florida State, after the Seminoles knocked off second-seeded Wake Forest, 4-1. The Blue Devils and Seminoles will tee off in Sunday's championship match beginning at 9 a.m., with the action aired live on ACC Network Extra.
"It is great," said Brooks on advancing to the title match. "They have done a great job of running this event. I love the fact that they have added match play. It is like a little rehearsal for nationals. It has a feel of a national championship and that is what we were hoping to do with a conference tournament."
Looking for its sixth ACC title over the last nine years, Duke has won 21 ACC Championships, including 20 under the direction of Brooks. The Blue Devils will be playing for their fourth at Sedgefield Country Club.
In Saturday's match, Duke got off to a hot start taking the early lead in all five contests. The Cavaliers made a comeback and would take the lead in three of the five matches.
Going off first for the Blue Devils was freshman Phoebe Brinker against Riley Smyth. Brinker took the early 1UP lead with a par on hole No. 1, but Smyth came back to win holes No. 4 and No. 6 to go ahead 1UP. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., would go on to win the next two holes to regain the 1UP lead and would never trail the rest of the way.
Leading 2UP, Brinker rolled in a key 5-foot par putt on No. 11 to tie the hole and then lipped out for birdie on No. 13. She faced two 7-foot, downhill birdie putts on No. 14 and No. 15 and rolled both in to go ahead 3UP. Brinker closed the match on the par-3 16th with a 4&2 score as Smyth hit her tee shot in the water.
Fellow Duke freshman Anne Chen shot 4-under-par through 15 holes against Celeste Valinho and never trailed posting a 5&3 victory to put Duke ahead 2-0. Chen, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, hit 12-of-15 greens and had only 13 putts on the front nine as she built a 3UP lead through nine holes. She closed the match out on the par-5 15th as she hit her second shot onto the green and had a 17-foot eagle putt. Chen missed the putt, but had a tap-in birdie to win the match.
Sophomore Erica Shepherd birdied the first hole in her match against Beth Lillie and led for the first three holes, before Lillie birdied No. 4 to tie the score. On No. 5, Shepherd got unlucky as her approach shot went up near the lip of the bunker and she was not able to get her next attempt on the green, before eventually losing the hole. Shepherd, who hails from Greenwood, Ind., dropped holes No. 9 and No. 10 to fall behind by three and Lillie would eventually win 4&2.
With Duke leading 2-1, recently crowned ACC Individual Champion Gina Kim was having a tight match with Jennifer Cleary. Kim, a product of Chapel Hill, N.C., led by as many as 2UP through seven holes, but Cleary won holes No. 8 and No. 9 to send the match to the back nine all tied up. Kim would go on to shoot 4-under-par over the next seven holes and clinch the victory for Duke with a 3&2 ledger.
The No. 13 hole was a key momentum shift as Kim hit her drive into the ground-under-repair area near the trees. She took relief, punched out to 18-feet from the cup and drained the birdie to win the hole and take a 1UP lead. Kim parred No. 15 to win the hole and then hit her 9-iron from 132 yards to a few feet for birdie to win the match.
"At the beginning, it was a little bit of a struggle," said Kim. "I gave up some shots and it was a little frustrating to be honest. Once we got to the back nine, I got a new perspective, set my mind straight and tried to keep pushing forward. A lot of birdie opportunities came up so it was nice to finish my match with a 3&2 win."
With Duke already clinching the win, senior Jaravee Boonchant's contest against Virginia Bossi ended up going to extra holes. Boonchant, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, led for six of the nine holes on the front nine, but the match was tied for seven holes on the back. Both golfers parred the first playoff hole, but Boonchant suffered a bogey on the second to fall in 20 holes.
"It is so exciting," said Kim about the team advancing to the championship. "I am so glad we are able to keep on playing and be in this position. I also think it is a testament to how hard all of us have worked to get to this point. I am looking forward to tomorrow."
Match Play Pairings - Championship
9:00 a.m. – Phoebe Brinker (DU) vs. Amelia Williamson (FSU)
9:10 a.m. – Jaravee Boonchant (DU) vs. Taylor Roberts (FSU)
9:20 a.m. – Gina Kim (DU) vs. Beatrice Wallin (FSU)
9:30 a.m. – Anne Chen (DU) vs. Charlotte Heath (FSU)
9:40 a.m. – Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Alice Hodge (FSU)
Match Play Results – Semifinals
#3 Florida State 4, #2 Wake Forest 1
Amelia Williamson (FSU) def. Siyun Liu (WF), 2&1
Lauren Walsh (WF) def. Charlotte Heath (FSU), 2 Up
Alice Hodge (FSU) def. Mimi Rhodes (WF), 4&3
Taylor Roberts (FSU) def. Rachel Kuehn (WF), 1 Up (24 holes)
Beatrice Wallin (FSU) def. Emilia Migliaccio (WF), 2 Up
#1 Duke 3, #4 Virginia 2
Phoebe Brinker (DUKE) def. Riley Smyth (UVA), 4&2
Virginia Bossi (UVA) def. Jaravee Boonchant (DUKE), 1 Up (20 holes)
Anne Chen (DUKE) def. Celeste Valinho (UVA), 5&3
Beth Lillie (UVA) def. Erica Shepherd (DUKE), 4&2
Gina Kim (DUKE) def. Jennifer Cleary (UVA), 3&2
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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