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Blue Devils Move on to Semifinals at NCAA Championship
5/25/2021 3:34:00 PM | Women's Golf
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Behind wins by freshmen Anne Chen and Phoebe Brinker along with junior Gina Kim, the second-seeded Duke women's golf team advanced to the semifinals of match play at the NCAA Championship on Tuesday at the 6,399-yard, par 72 Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club. The Blue Devils defeated seventh-seeded and host Arizona State by a 3-1-1 ledger.
It marks the fourth time out of the five appearances in match play that the Blue Devils moved into the semifinals. Duke will face No. 3 seed Oklahoma State at 3:45 p.m. (ET) for the chance to play for an eighth NCAA Championship. The Golf Channel will feature live coverage from 5-9 p.m. (ET).
Arizona State jumped out to a 1UP lead in the first two matches to start the morning, but Kim and sophomore Erica Shepherd bounced back.
Chen, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, set the tone for Duke in her match against Alessandra Fanali as she birdied the first hole and added a second birdie on No. 4. She rolled in an eagle on the par-5 seventh to go ahead 5UP. Chen shot 4-under-par through 13 holes and posted a 7&5 victory to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
In a matchup of two of the top women's amateurs in the world, Duke's 40th-ranked Kim went up against 20th-ranked Olivia Mehaffey. After Mehaffey birdied the first hole to take a 1UP lead, Kim took holes No. 3 and No. 4 to go 1UP. Kim would never trail the rest of the way, but the match stayed close the entire morning as Kim could not get a lead larger than 1UP through 16 holes. At No. 17, Kim drained a 6-foot birdie to close the match with a 2&1 victory. Kim moved to 3-1 in match play in her collegiate career at the NCAA Championship.
"It just shows how much trust he [Dan Brooks] has in me and I feel truly honored that he thinks of my game that highly and I take a lot of comfort in that too," said Kim on the trust Brooks has in her to send her out first. "With that mindset, I just try to play my own game and stick to the routine and it turned out well."
With Duke leading 2-0, Arizona State's Ashley Menne defeated senior Jaravee Boonchant, 2&1. After being tied for the first six holes, Menne rolled in a birdie on No. 7 to take a 1UP lead. Boonchant evened the match with a par on No. 9, but Menne regained a 1UP lead with another birdie on No. 10. A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Boonchant could not get the putts to drop and fell, 2&1, to cut the lead to 2-1.
Shepherd headed to No. 18 with a 1UP lead and Brinker stepped to the tee box on No. 16 with a 2UP lead, after Boonchant's match went final.
Brinker, who is from Wilmington, Del., had led by as many as 4UP through eight holes. She parred No. 16 and then drove the green on No. 17. Brinker two-putted for birdie and secured a 2&1 win over Amanda Linner, which also secured the Duke win.
"I am glad I got off to a great start and had a 4UP lead," said Brinker. "It ended up getting back to 2UP so I got a little bit nervous, but I just kept sticking to my game and everything worked out. It feels amazing. I just have the best team. I am so thankful for all of them. They all played great and I am just looking forward to the next match."
Shepherd had a tall task in her match against Linn Grant, who is the No. 2 ranked amateur in the world from Arizona State. A product of Greenwood, Ind., Shepherd fell behind by two through four holes, but won the next two with a par and birdie to get back to tied. She briefly held a 1UP lead through nine holes with a birdie, but lost holes No. 10-12 to fall back behind by two. Shepherd once again came back by winning holes No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15 to take a 1UP lead. She dropped No. 18 to finish the match in a tie.
Duke has won NCAA Championships in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2019 under the guidance of Brooks.
#GoDuke
No. 2 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed Oklahoma State
3:45 p.m. - Gina Kim (DU) vs. Maja Stark (OSU)
3:55 p.m. - Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Isabella Fierro (OSU)
4:05 p.m. - Anne Chen (DU) vs. Lianna Bailey (OSU)
4:15 p.m. - Phoebe Brinker (DU) vs. Rina Tatematsu (OSU)
4:25 p.m. - Jaravee Boonchant (DU) vs. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (OSU)
All times listed are Eastern
Duke def. Arizona State, 3-1-1
Gina Kim (DU) def. Olivia Mehaffey (ASU) 2&1
Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Linn Grant (ASU) Tied
Ashley Menne (ASU) def. Jaravee Boonchant (DU) 2&1
Anne Chen (DU) def. Alessandra Fanali (ASU) 7&5
Phoebe Brinker (DU) def. Amanda Linner (ASU) 2&1
It marks the fourth time out of the five appearances in match play that the Blue Devils moved into the semifinals. Duke will face No. 3 seed Oklahoma State at 3:45 p.m. (ET) for the chance to play for an eighth NCAA Championship. The Golf Channel will feature live coverage from 5-9 p.m. (ET).
Arizona State jumped out to a 1UP lead in the first two matches to start the morning, but Kim and sophomore Erica Shepherd bounced back.
Chen, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, set the tone for Duke in her match against Alessandra Fanali as she birdied the first hole and added a second birdie on No. 4. She rolled in an eagle on the par-5 seventh to go ahead 5UP. Chen shot 4-under-par through 13 holes and posted a 7&5 victory to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead.
In a matchup of two of the top women's amateurs in the world, Duke's 40th-ranked Kim went up against 20th-ranked Olivia Mehaffey. After Mehaffey birdied the first hole to take a 1UP lead, Kim took holes No. 3 and No. 4 to go 1UP. Kim would never trail the rest of the way, but the match stayed close the entire morning as Kim could not get a lead larger than 1UP through 16 holes. At No. 17, Kim drained a 6-foot birdie to close the match with a 2&1 victory. Kim moved to 3-1 in match play in her collegiate career at the NCAA Championship.
"It just shows how much trust he [Dan Brooks] has in me and I feel truly honored that he thinks of my game that highly and I take a lot of comfort in that too," said Kim on the trust Brooks has in her to send her out first. "With that mindset, I just try to play my own game and stick to the routine and it turned out well."
With Duke leading 2-0, Arizona State's Ashley Menne defeated senior Jaravee Boonchant, 2&1. After being tied for the first six holes, Menne rolled in a birdie on No. 7 to take a 1UP lead. Boonchant evened the match with a par on No. 9, but Menne regained a 1UP lead with another birdie on No. 10. A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Boonchant could not get the putts to drop and fell, 2&1, to cut the lead to 2-1.
Shepherd headed to No. 18 with a 1UP lead and Brinker stepped to the tee box on No. 16 with a 2UP lead, after Boonchant's match went final.
Brinker, who is from Wilmington, Del., had led by as many as 4UP through eight holes. She parred No. 16 and then drove the green on No. 17. Brinker two-putted for birdie and secured a 2&1 win over Amanda Linner, which also secured the Duke win.
"I am glad I got off to a great start and had a 4UP lead," said Brinker. "It ended up getting back to 2UP so I got a little bit nervous, but I just kept sticking to my game and everything worked out. It feels amazing. I just have the best team. I am so thankful for all of them. They all played great and I am just looking forward to the next match."
Shepherd had a tall task in her match against Linn Grant, who is the No. 2 ranked amateur in the world from Arizona State. A product of Greenwood, Ind., Shepherd fell behind by two through four holes, but won the next two with a par and birdie to get back to tied. She briefly held a 1UP lead through nine holes with a birdie, but lost holes No. 10-12 to fall back behind by two. Shepherd once again came back by winning holes No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15 to take a 1UP lead. She dropped No. 18 to finish the match in a tie.
Duke has won NCAA Championships in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2019 under the guidance of Brooks.
#GoDuke
No. 2 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed Oklahoma State
3:45 p.m. - Gina Kim (DU) vs. Maja Stark (OSU)
3:55 p.m. - Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Isabella Fierro (OSU)
4:05 p.m. - Anne Chen (DU) vs. Lianna Bailey (OSU)
4:15 p.m. - Phoebe Brinker (DU) vs. Rina Tatematsu (OSU)
4:25 p.m. - Jaravee Boonchant (DU) vs. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (OSU)
All times listed are Eastern
Duke def. Arizona State, 3-1-1
Gina Kim (DU) def. Olivia Mehaffey (ASU) 2&1
Erica Shepherd (DU) vs. Linn Grant (ASU) Tied
Ashley Menne (ASU) def. Jaravee Boonchant (DU) 2&1
Anne Chen (DU) def. Alessandra Fanali (ASU) 7&5
Phoebe Brinker (DU) def. Amanda Linner (ASU) 2&1
Players Mentioned
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