CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Duke sophomore
Anne Chen carded a career-low 6-under-par, 66, on Tuesday to close the Chattanooga Classic on her way to finishing the 54 holes with a career-best 9-under-par, 207, to claim the individual title at the 6,234-yard, par-72 Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The win for Chen was her first as a Blue Devil and the first individual title for the Duke team in 2021-22. Her bogey-free round of 66 and her 54-hole score of 9-under, 207, were both tournament records.
"This win means a lot to me because it's my first collegiate win and it's been a goal of mine since the start of freshman year," said Chen. "This week, all aspects of my game fit perfectly and I was able to hit a lot of great approach shots. I felt more comfortable over my putts this week, which allowed me to have a better stroke and make more putts."
Trailing by two strokes heading into the final round, Chen had things dialed in from the beginning as she parred the first two holes and then rolled in an 8-footer for birdie on No. 3. After two more pars, she took control of the leaderboard as she drained a 6-foot birdie on the sixth hole, parred No. 7 and then collected back-to-back birdies. On No. 8, she sank an 18-footer for birdie and then hit her pitching wedge from 106 yards on No. 9 to three feet for birdie.
Chen, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, made the turn at 4-under, 32, and had the individual lead. She was solid on the back nine with seven pars and two birdies. On the 521-yard, par-5 11th, Chen hit her 3-hybrid from 223 yards to the side of the green. She putted from off the fringe to two feet for birdie and finished it off to move to 5-under. Chen closed the day with her sixth birdie as she hit her 3-wood from 237 yards to the front of the green, putted from the fringe to three feet for birdie. She tied a career best with 17 greens, 12 fairways and rolled 29 putts on the final day.
It marked her first bogey-free round of Chen's collegiate career.
Chen won the tournament by five strokes ahead of East Carolina's Kathryn Carson and UTSA's Ana Gonzalez (212).
Boosted by an even-par, 72, on the final day, freshman
Rylie Heflin closed the week with a 3-day ledger of 222, which was tied for 26th. After opening with a par and bogey, Heflin played the next 10 holes at 3-under-par. She hit her pitching wedge on No. 5 from 115 yards to six feet for birdie to get things rolling. Heflin, a native of Avondale, Pa., added another birdie on No. 6 as she hit her 9-iron to 12 feet. She collected her third birdie of the day on No. 11 as she hit a perfect 58-degree wedge from 71 yards to three feet. Heflin closed the final seven holes with five pars and two bogeys to finish with a 72. She hit 15 greens, nine fairways and had 33 putts.
Also finishing the week with her best round of the tournament was junior
Megan Furtney as she fired a 2-over, 74, to finish in a tie for 55th. Furtney, a product of St. Charles, Ill., was 2-over through 10 holes, before hitting her 54-degree wedge from 81 yards to eight feet for birdie to get back to 1-over. She closed the day with six pars and one bogey to finish with a 74.
Duke was not playing as a team as
Erica Shepherd and
Phoebe Brinker will open action at the Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA) on Wednesday, March 30. The Blue Devils will next compete as a group in the Wolfpack Match Play April 3-4 in Raleigh, N.C.
#GoDuke
Duke Results
4 1
Anne Chen * Duke 72 69 66 207 -9
T33 T26
Rylie Heflin * Duke 74 76 72 222 +6
T55 T55
Megan Furtney * Duke 77 78 74 229 +13
Start Finish Player Team Scores
4 1
Anne Chen * Duke 72 69 66 207 -9
T5 T2 Kathryn Carson East Carolina 76 67 69 212 -4
T2 T2 Ana Gonzalez UTSA 70 70 72 212 -4
T2 T4 Melanie Green South Florida 72 68 74 214 -2
T7 T4 Mindy Herrick North Florida 74 70 70 214 -2
1 T4 Hannah Holzmann UTSA 72 67 75 214 -2
T11 7 Camila Moreno Central Arkansas 74 72 69 215 -1
T5 8 Ashley Au Yale 71 72 73 216 E
T23 T9 Karissa Kilby Florida International 79 70 68 217 +1
T9 T9 Sophie Bert East Tennessee St. 72 73 72 217 +1
T18 T9 Elin Kumlin Central Arkansas 73 75 69 217 +1
T23 12 Kendall Turner James Madison 76 73 69 218 +2
T23 T13 Nicole Polivchak UTSA 76 73 70 219 +3
T23 T13 Kaitlyn Lee Yale 74 75 70 219 +3
T9 T13 Jessie Cai North Florida 77 68 74 219 +3
T7 T13 Sara McKevitt North Florida 72 72 75 219 +3
T23 T17 Lacey Uchida Colorado State 75 74 71 220 +4
T15 T17 Letizia Bagnoli Florida Atlantic 71 76 73 220 +4
T11 T17 Christin Eisenbeiss North Florida 72 74 74 220 +4
T23 T20 Elena Melich Southern Mississippi 73 76 72 221 +5
T23 T20 Pilar Muguruza Old Dominion 74 75 72 221 +5
T11 T20 Juliana Camargo South Florida 77 69 75 221 +5
T18 T20 Federica Torre Old Dominion 76 72 73 221 +5
T23 T20 Alexis Kim Yale 77 72 72 221 +5
T39 T20 Jacque Galloway Iowa 79 72 70 221 +5
T33 T26
Rylie Heflin * Duke 74 76 72 222 +6
T55 T26 Andrea Bergsdottir Colorado State 76 79 67 222 +6
T11 T26 Jana Melichova Old Dominion 76 70 76 222 +6
T15 T26 Pemika Arphamongkol Colorado State 75 72 75 222 +6
T23 T26 Vanessa Ho Wisconsin 74 75 73 222 +6
T18 T31 Esme Hamilton Chattanooga 70 78 75 223 +7
T33 T31 Carolina Andrade Florida International 73 77 73 223 +7
54 T31 Paula Miranda Iowa 81 73 69 223 +7
T39 T31 Aine Donegan Indiana 75 76 72 223 +7
T33 T31 Bailey Dunstan Samford 74 76 73 223 +7
T51 T36 Ashley Zagers * South Florida 80 73 71 224 +8
T39 T36 Caroline Caudill Middle Tennessee 73 78 73 224 +8
T33 T36 Kate Owens James Madison 80 70 74 224 +8
T15 T36 Megan Docherty Chattanooga 74 73 77 224 +8
T23 T36 Andrea Miralles Llopis East Carolina 75 74 75 224 +8
T39 T36 Tania Nunez Central Arkansas 72 79 73 224 +8
T18 T36 Camryn Carreon UTSA 79 69 76 224 +8
T18 T43 Dorota Zalewska Chattanooga 78 70 77 225 +9
T46 T43 Momoka Ando Southern Mississippi 77 75 73 225 +9
T39 T43 Sofia Torres Colorado State 77 74 74 225 +9
T46 T43 Mackenzie Hahn Wisconsin 80 72 73 225 +9
T33 T47 Julie Boysen Hillestad East Carolina 70 80 76 226 +10
T55 T47 Morgan Baxendale South Florida 77 78 71 226 +10
T46 T47 Daniela Gonzalez Pinto North Florida 76 76 74 226 +10
T46 50 Grace Chin East Tennessee St. 76 76 75 227 +11
T51 T51 Natnicha Chompitakdacha Southern Mississippi 75 78 75 228 +12
T39 T51 Madison Smith Middle Tennessee 76 75 77 228 +12
T55 T51 Ana Maria Barriga South Florida 79 76 73 228 +12
T33 T51 Ami Gianchandani Yale 74 76 78 228 +12
T55 T55
Megan Furtney * Duke 77 78 74 229 +13
T72 T55 Gabby Minier Colorado State 76 82 71 229 +13
T63 57 Merche Corbacho Southern Mississippi 77 80 73 230 +14
T82 T58 Millburn Ho Florida International 77 83 71 231 +15
T63 T58 Catherine Caudill Middle Tennessee 82 75 74 231 +15
T55 T58 Oda Sofie Kilsti East Carolina 76 79 76 231 +15
T72 T58 Karley Whittington Central Arkansas 84 74 73 231 +15
T39 T58 Jinnapat Rittawee Central Arkansas 79 72 80 231 +15
T63 T63 Emily Lauterbach Wisconsin 79 78 75 232 +16
T63 T63 Rosa Barnak Florida Atlantic 80 77 75 232 +16
62 T63 Nicole Ciskowski Wisconsin 75 81 76 232 +16
T46 T63 Payton Carter Murray State 75 77 80 232 +16
T63 T67 Sophie Burks Middle Tennessee 79 78 76 233 +17
T79 T67 Hollie Muse East Tennessee St. 80 79 74 233 +17
T63 T69 Jordyn Hodgson Florida International 82 75 77 234 +18
T55 T69 Carly Lyvers James Madison 74 81 79 234 +18
T72 T69 Riley Hamilton East Carolina 80 78 76 234 +18
T63 T69 Blanka Decker Florida Atlantic 79 78 77 234 +18
T63 T73 Kacey Walker Florida Atlantic 81 76 78 235 +19
T84 T73 Coco Chai Yale 85 76 74 235 +19
T55 T73 Eliza Kho Murray State 75 80 80 235 +19
T63 T76 Molly Bebelaar Middle Tennessee 84 73 79 236 +20
T72 T76 Amelia Williams James Madison 81 77 78 236 +20
T72 T76 Elsie Verhoeven Old Dominion 76 82 78 236 +20
T97 T76 Lea Zeitler Iowa 85 81 70 236 +20
T51 T76 Sophie Membrino Samford 78 75 83 236 +20
T79 T81 Sophie Simon * Yale 83 76 78 237 +21
T72 T81 Helena Noel Florida International 82 76 79 237 +21
T86 T81 Camille Kuznik * Wisconsin 81 81 75 237 +21
T84 T81 Chloe Chan Wisconsin 81 80 76 237 +21
T86 T81 Dana Lerner Iowa 79 83 75 237 +21
T97 T86 Kim Egozi Florida Atlantic 81 85 72 238 +22
T91 T86 Leonor Medeiros South Florida 77 86 75 238 +22
T91 T86 Alex Crafton East Tennessee St. 87 76 75 238 +22
T97 T89 Carolina Hortian Chattanooga 80 86 73 239 +23
T82 T89 Kayleigh Reinke James Madison 83 77 79 239 +23
T91 T89 Alma Garcia Murray State 84 79 76 239 +23
T86 T92 Hunter Nugent UTSA 80 82 78 240 +24
T86 T92 Morgan Goldstein Iowa 82 80 78 240 +24
T79 T92 Ana Picchi Murray State 81 78 81 240 +24
T97 T95 Mary Kate Horton Samford 86 80 75 241 +25
102 T95 Beatriz Junqueira Indiana 83 85 73 241 +25
T72 T95 Kelley Topiwala Samford 81 77 83 241 +25
T97 T98 Christian Williams Samford 86 80 77 243 +27
95 T98 Maddie Dittoe Indiana 79 85 79 243 +27
T86 100 Leah Onosato Old Dominion 77 85 82 244 +28
T91 101 Emmie Eriksson Murray State 82 81 82 245 +29
T103 102 Ellie Darnell East Tennessee St. 85 84 77 246 +30
T103 103 Morgan Dabagia Indiana 89 80 79 248 +32
96 - Tenley Moretti Southern Mississippi 86 79 D - -
105 - Arushi Singh Indiana D D D - -