Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Moon Golf Invitational on February 15, 2026
Women's Golf
vs Moon Golf Invitational
Sunday, October 29
Wilmington, N.C.
Duke University
at
Landfall Tradition
Photo by: UNCW Sports Information
Duke Comes Back to Win Landfall Tradition
10/29/2023 8:05:00 PM | Women's Golf
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Heading into the final round of the Landfall Tradition, the Duke women's golf team trailed by four strokes, but the Blue Devils caught fire Sunday to collect a school-record tying 17-under-par, 271, to win the event for the fourth time in school history.
Duke turned in rounds of 286, 286 and 271 to finish with a 21-under, 843. The Blue Devils finished in a tie for first along with Clemson, but Duke won the team title by virtue of a tiebreaker (fifth player's third round score).
All six Blue Devils that hit the course on Sunday shot under par – Anne Chen (8-under, 64), Phoebe Brinker (4-under, 68), Emma McMyler (3-under, 69), Katie Li (2-under, 70), Andie Smith (2-under, 70) and Rylie Heflin (2-under, 70).
Duke and Clemson finished with an 843, while UCF (844), Arizona (855) and Alabama (856) rounded out the top five teams at the 6,194-yard, par-72 Country Club of Landfall Pete Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C.
How It Happened
• Senior Anne Chen opened her day on hole No. 5 and parred the first four holes, before suffering her lone bogey on No. 9. Chen then struck fire with nine birdies over her next 13 holes to get to 8-under-par. She connected on a 10-foot birdie on No. 10 and 7-foot birdie on No. 11. Chen, who hails from Sugar Land, Texas, then hit her 50-degree wedge from 102 yards to six feet for birdie on No. 14 and then stuck her 50-degree wedge to eight feet on No. 15. Chen rolled in birdies on No. 17 and No. 18 to make the turn at 6-under, 30. She hit her 60-degree wedge from 67 yards to nine feet on No. 1 to get to 6-under, parred No. 2 and then hit her 54-degree wedge from 90 yards to 13 feet for birdie. Chen closed her day by hitting her 3-wood on the par-5 fourth hole over the green, but hit an 18-yard pitch to three feet for birdie. She hit a season-high 16 greens, 10 fairways and rolled 27 putts on the day. Chen finished in a tie for fifth with a 7-under, 209.
• With three straight rounds of even or under par, senior Phoebe Brinker placed tied for fifth with a 7-under, 209. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., opened with three birdies over her first five holes to get to 3-under early. She had her irons dialed in the entire day sticking her approach to a few feet for her six birdies. Brinker netted birdies on No. 10 and No. 12 to get to 5-under, but then suffered a bogey on No. 15. On No. 18, she hit the par-5 in two and 2-putted for birdie to move back to 5-under. Brinker closed with two pars and a bogey on No. 2 to finish with a 4-under, 68. She hit 16 greens and 10 fairways on the day.
• Graduate student Emma McMyler parred her first two holes and then sank a 9-foot birdie on No. 8 and 7-foot birdie on No. 9 to move into the red. Over the next nine holes she posted six pars, two bogeys and a 15-foot birdie on No. 13. McMyler then stuck her approach on No. 1 to three feet for birdie from 87 yards to get back to 2-under. After a pair of pars, she was greenside in two on the par-5 fourth hole, chipped to six feet and drained the birdie to get to 3-under. McMyler finished the even at even-par, 216, which was tied for 32nd. She hit 11 fairways, 14 greens and rolled 29 putts.
• Freshman Katie Li concluded the event with her first collegiate top-20 finish as she posted three straight rounds of even or under par. Li, who is from Basking Ridge, N.J., opened her round on No. 4 and parred her first five holes. She then stuck her approach from 114 yards on No. 9 to three feet for birdie and then sank a 9-footer for birdie on No. 10 to move to 2-under. Li rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on No. 15 to get to 3-under. After a bogey on No. 17, Li lipped out for eagle on No. 18 and finished with a tap-in birdie. She bogeyed No. 1 and parred the final two holes to finish tied for a career-best with a 2-under, 70.
• With bookended under-par rounds at the event, Andie Smith placed tied for 32nd with an even-par, 216. She started her final day on No. 5 with a par and then drained a 15-footer for birdie on No. 6. Smith bogeyed No. 7, but came back to roll in a 25-foot birdie on the 162-yard, par-3 eighth hole. She added a 3-foot birdie on No. 11 to get to 2-under and bogeyed No. 16. Smith had her putter working most of the day as she drained a 15-footer on No. 1 and 2-putted for birdie on No. 4 to finish with a 70.
• Playing as an individual, junior Rylie Heflin turned in her second straight round of even or under par with a 2-under, 70. After opening with a par on No. 18 to kick off her day, she parred the next four holes. Heflin, who is from Avondale, Pa., then rolled in a 15-foot birdie on No. 5 and then hit her 9-iron from 130 yards to 10 feet for birdie on No. 6 to get to 2-under. Her lone bogey came on No. 9, but got back to 2-under with a 20-foot birdie on No. 12. Heflin was 15 yards over the green on No. 15, but chipped to two feet to save par and keep her round going strong.
Notes
• Duke's final round of 17-under, 271, tied a school record for lowest 18-hole score on a par-72 course.
• The Blue Devils' third round of 271 was tied for the lowest third round score in Duke history on a par-72 course.
• The 21-under, 843, was the third-lowest 54-hole score in Duke history on a par-72 course.
• It marks the first time since 2021 that Duke won a tournament after trailing entering the final round (Gamecock Intercollegiate).
• Anne Chen's 8-under, 64, was tied for the fourth-lowest 18-hole score in Duke history. It was tied for the second-lowest on a par-72 course.
• Chen's 6-under, 30, over her first nine holes was the lowest 9-hole score for Duke since Erica Shepherd had a 6-under, 30, at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in 2021.
• Chen turned in her sixth round of even or under par this year and now owns 30 over her career. She totaled her fourth career top-5 finish, 11th top-20 placement and her tied for fifth ledger was a season best.
• All five Blue Devils shot under-par in the final round for the first time since the ACC/SEC Challenge in 2003.
• Duke carded 32 birdies in the final round.
• Phoebe Brinker now owns a team-best 10 rounds of even or under-par on the season and 44 over her career. She had posted 15 career rounds in the 60s.
• Rylie Heflin posted her ninth career round of even or under par.
• Katie Li registered her sixth round of even or under par over her last three tournaments. Her 29 pars over 36 holes ranks second among the field.
• Heflin and Li finished the event with 41 pars, which ranked tied for third among the field.
• Duke has also won the Landfall Tradition in 2018, 2017 and 2015.
Quotes
• "It feels great to finish off the fall with a team win. We all played well in the final round, which contributed to us moving up the leaderboard and winning the tournament." – Graduate Student Emma McMyler
• "Today was a lot of fun. I was glad we were paired with Clemson, with both teams coming from behind and going low. It was really a co-championship, since there was no actual playoff. Hats off to Clemson for great golf today." – Duke head coach Dan Brooks
• "Today was a fun day and golf seemed super simple today. I was able to give myself a lot of good looks for birdie with my wedge shots and putted really well. I'm super excited for the team to get the win in our last event. It felt like we've been playing great this whole semester so it was amazing to finally get a win. I'm so proud of the team for staying patient this tournament and the semester and really giving it their all" – Duke senior Anne Chen
• "I couldn't think of a better way to end the fall season. We knew we could do it, and we have worked extremely hard all fall to make this day a reality. I think we are all ready for a break and excited to keep this going in the spring!" – Duke senior Phoebe Brinker
What is Next
• Duke is off for the rest of the fall and will resume action in the spring at the Moon Golf Invitational Feb. 18-20 at the Suntree Country Club.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
#GoDuke
Duke turned in rounds of 286, 286 and 271 to finish with a 21-under, 843. The Blue Devils finished in a tie for first along with Clemson, but Duke won the team title by virtue of a tiebreaker (fifth player's third round score).
All six Blue Devils that hit the course on Sunday shot under par – Anne Chen (8-under, 64), Phoebe Brinker (4-under, 68), Emma McMyler (3-under, 69), Katie Li (2-under, 70), Andie Smith (2-under, 70) and Rylie Heflin (2-under, 70).
Duke and Clemson finished with an 843, while UCF (844), Arizona (855) and Alabama (856) rounded out the top five teams at the 6,194-yard, par-72 Country Club of Landfall Pete Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C.
How It Happened
• Senior Anne Chen opened her day on hole No. 5 and parred the first four holes, before suffering her lone bogey on No. 9. Chen then struck fire with nine birdies over her next 13 holes to get to 8-under-par. She connected on a 10-foot birdie on No. 10 and 7-foot birdie on No. 11. Chen, who hails from Sugar Land, Texas, then hit her 50-degree wedge from 102 yards to six feet for birdie on No. 14 and then stuck her 50-degree wedge to eight feet on No. 15. Chen rolled in birdies on No. 17 and No. 18 to make the turn at 6-under, 30. She hit her 60-degree wedge from 67 yards to nine feet on No. 1 to get to 6-under, parred No. 2 and then hit her 54-degree wedge from 90 yards to 13 feet for birdie. Chen closed her day by hitting her 3-wood on the par-5 fourth hole over the green, but hit an 18-yard pitch to three feet for birdie. She hit a season-high 16 greens, 10 fairways and rolled 27 putts on the day. Chen finished in a tie for fifth with a 7-under, 209.
• With three straight rounds of even or under par, senior Phoebe Brinker placed tied for fifth with a 7-under, 209. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., opened with three birdies over her first five holes to get to 3-under early. She had her irons dialed in the entire day sticking her approach to a few feet for her six birdies. Brinker netted birdies on No. 10 and No. 12 to get to 5-under, but then suffered a bogey on No. 15. On No. 18, she hit the par-5 in two and 2-putted for birdie to move back to 5-under. Brinker closed with two pars and a bogey on No. 2 to finish with a 4-under, 68. She hit 16 greens and 10 fairways on the day.
• Graduate student Emma McMyler parred her first two holes and then sank a 9-foot birdie on No. 8 and 7-foot birdie on No. 9 to move into the red. Over the next nine holes she posted six pars, two bogeys and a 15-foot birdie on No. 13. McMyler then stuck her approach on No. 1 to three feet for birdie from 87 yards to get back to 2-under. After a pair of pars, she was greenside in two on the par-5 fourth hole, chipped to six feet and drained the birdie to get to 3-under. McMyler finished the even at even-par, 216, which was tied for 32nd. She hit 11 fairways, 14 greens and rolled 29 putts.
• Freshman Katie Li concluded the event with her first collegiate top-20 finish as she posted three straight rounds of even or under par. Li, who is from Basking Ridge, N.J., opened her round on No. 4 and parred her first five holes. She then stuck her approach from 114 yards on No. 9 to three feet for birdie and then sank a 9-footer for birdie on No. 10 to move to 2-under. Li rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on No. 15 to get to 3-under. After a bogey on No. 17, Li lipped out for eagle on No. 18 and finished with a tap-in birdie. She bogeyed No. 1 and parred the final two holes to finish tied for a career-best with a 2-under, 70.
• With bookended under-par rounds at the event, Andie Smith placed tied for 32nd with an even-par, 216. She started her final day on No. 5 with a par and then drained a 15-footer for birdie on No. 6. Smith bogeyed No. 7, but came back to roll in a 25-foot birdie on the 162-yard, par-3 eighth hole. She added a 3-foot birdie on No. 11 to get to 2-under and bogeyed No. 16. Smith had her putter working most of the day as she drained a 15-footer on No. 1 and 2-putted for birdie on No. 4 to finish with a 70.
• Playing as an individual, junior Rylie Heflin turned in her second straight round of even or under par with a 2-under, 70. After opening with a par on No. 18 to kick off her day, she parred the next four holes. Heflin, who is from Avondale, Pa., then rolled in a 15-foot birdie on No. 5 and then hit her 9-iron from 130 yards to 10 feet for birdie on No. 6 to get to 2-under. Her lone bogey came on No. 9, but got back to 2-under with a 20-foot birdie on No. 12. Heflin was 15 yards over the green on No. 15, but chipped to two feet to save par and keep her round going strong.
Notes
• Duke's final round of 17-under, 271, tied a school record for lowest 18-hole score on a par-72 course.
• The Blue Devils' third round of 271 was tied for the lowest third round score in Duke history on a par-72 course.
• The 21-under, 843, was the third-lowest 54-hole score in Duke history on a par-72 course.
• It marks the first time since 2021 that Duke won a tournament after trailing entering the final round (Gamecock Intercollegiate).
• Anne Chen's 8-under, 64, was tied for the fourth-lowest 18-hole score in Duke history. It was tied for the second-lowest on a par-72 course.
• Chen's 6-under, 30, over her first nine holes was the lowest 9-hole score for Duke since Erica Shepherd had a 6-under, 30, at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational in 2021.
• Chen turned in her sixth round of even or under par this year and now owns 30 over her career. She totaled her fourth career top-5 finish, 11th top-20 placement and her tied for fifth ledger was a season best.
• All five Blue Devils shot under-par in the final round for the first time since the ACC/SEC Challenge in 2003.
• Duke carded 32 birdies in the final round.
• Phoebe Brinker now owns a team-best 10 rounds of even or under-par on the season and 44 over her career. She had posted 15 career rounds in the 60s.
• Rylie Heflin posted her ninth career round of even or under par.
• Katie Li registered her sixth round of even or under par over her last three tournaments. Her 29 pars over 36 holes ranks second among the field.
• Heflin and Li finished the event with 41 pars, which ranked tied for third among the field.
• Duke has also won the Landfall Tradition in 2018, 2017 and 2015.
Quotes
• "It feels great to finish off the fall with a team win. We all played well in the final round, which contributed to us moving up the leaderboard and winning the tournament." – Graduate Student Emma McMyler
• "Today was a lot of fun. I was glad we were paired with Clemson, with both teams coming from behind and going low. It was really a co-championship, since there was no actual playoff. Hats off to Clemson for great golf today." – Duke head coach Dan Brooks
• "Today was a fun day and golf seemed super simple today. I was able to give myself a lot of good looks for birdie with my wedge shots and putted really well. I'm super excited for the team to get the win in our last event. It felt like we've been playing great this whole semester so it was amazing to finally get a win. I'm so proud of the team for staying patient this tournament and the semester and really giving it their all" – Duke senior Anne Chen
• "I couldn't think of a better way to end the fall season. We knew we could do it, and we have worked extremely hard all fall to make this day a reality. I think we are all ready for a break and excited to keep this going in the spring!" – Duke senior Phoebe Brinker
What is Next
• Duke is off for the rest of the fall and will resume action in the spring at the Moon Golf Invitational Feb. 18-20 at the Suntree Country Club.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
#GoDuke
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