All Six Blue Devils Shoot Even or Better; Duke Tied Second Overall

ORLANDO, Fla. – All six members of the Duke women's golf team shot even-par or better on Monday as the Blue Devils carded a season-low 10-under-par, 278, to remain in second place at the PDI Intercollegiate – Hosted by UCF, which is being contested at the 6,392-yard, par-72 Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.

Due to expected fog on Tuesday morning, all teams started the third round, but only three Blue Devils got holes in before darkness forced play to be concluded. Duke sophomore Katie Li turned in her second-straight round of 4-under, 68, and enters the third round in fourth overall with an 8-under, 136. She is four strokes behind Kansas' Lauren Clark (12-under).

Through 36 holes, Duke held an 18-under, 558, which was the fourth-best 36-hole score in Duke history on a par-72 course. Baylor continues to hold the lead with a 26-under score, while North Carolina (-18), Duke (-18) and Mississippi State (-17) round out the top four teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Katie Li continued her solid play with a 4-under-par, 68, which included six birdies. She held a 3-under-par ledger through 11 holes Monday with birdies on No. 4, No. 6 and No. 9. Li, a native of Basking Ridge, N.J., got it started on the par-5 fourth as she hit the green in two from 228 yards. She then birdied No. 6 as she rolled in a 6-foot putt, after hitting her pitching wedge from 109 yards. Li also sank a 6-footer for birdie on No. 9. She featured a key par save on No. 8 as she chipped from the hazard to six feet. On the back, Li extended her bogey-free streak to career-best 29 holes, before suffering a bogey on No. 12. She then birdied three out of her final six holes to finish with a 68. Over the 18 holes, Li hit 13 greens, 11 fairways and had 28 putts.
Senior Rylie Heflin signed for a career-best 4-under-par, 68, on Monday.She was bogey-free over the 18 holes with four birdies.She opened with three pars, before hitting her 58-degree wedge from 66 yards to 15 feet for birdie.Heflin, who is from Avondale, Pa., parred the next seven holes, before reeling in back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13 to get to 3-under.She rolled in a 10-footer on the 12th and then hit her 3-hybrid from 220 yards to 40 feet for eagle.Heflin 2-putted for birdie.She closed with four pars and birdied the 148-yard, par-3 17th as she hit her 7-iron from 151 yards to eight feet.Heflin hit 8 fairways, a season-high 16 greens and had 31 putts.
Freshman Anna Cañado Espinal had a slow start to her second round as she was 3-over-par over during her first eight holes, but closed strong with a 4-under ledger over her final 10 holes to shoot 1-under-par, 71.It all started on the 406-yard, par-4 ninth as she chipped in for birdie.Espinal then hit her 5-wood from 225 yards to 26 feet for eagle on No. 13 and 2-putted for birdie.She was able to get back to even-par on the 15th as she drained a 7-footer for birdie and then moved to 1-under with a 16-foot birdie on No. 16.Espinal, who is from Barcelona, Spain, finished the day with a 1-under, 71, as she hit 12 fairways, 12 greens and rolled 31 putts.
Junior Andie Smith had the best start of the day for Duke with two birdies over her first two holes.She ran into a little trouble over the next seven holes with three bogeys and four pars to drop to 1-over.Smith, a native of Hobe Sound, Fla., regrouped and closed the final nine with eight pars and a birdie on No. 18 to finish with a 72.
After opening her day with a pair of bogeys and six pars over her first eight holes, rookie Carla De Troia registered her first birdie of the day on No. 9.She suffered another bogey on No. 10, but closed very strong with a 3-under-par ledger during the final six holes.De Troia, a product of Paris, France, totaled her final three birdies on No. 13, No. 14 and No. 17.She finished with her second-straight even or under par round with a 1-under, 71.
Playing as an individual, freshman Martina Yu carded a career-best even-par, 72. After failing to collect a birdie in round one, Yu posted a career-high six birdies on the second day.She birdied No. 11 and No. 13 to open with a 2-under ledger. After a double-bogey on No. 14, she added birdies on No. 16, No. 2 and No. 4 to move to 3-under. Yu, who hails from Canada, was 3-over-par during her final two holes to finish with a 72.

NOTES

Katie Li had a streak of 29 bogey-free holes come to an end in the second round. It was the longest of her short career.
Li now owns eight career rounds in the 60s and totaled her fourth this season.
Rylie Heflin collected her fifth round of even or under par on the season and 17th of her career. It was also her first career round in the 60s.
Andie Smith posted her team-best eighth round of even or under par on the season.
Anna Cañado Espinal registered her sixth round of even or under par this season, while Carla De Troia notched her fifth.
Espinal has totaled five consecutive rounds of even or under par dating back to the Landfall Tradition.
Entering the final round, Smith is tied for 15th and Heflin is tied for 23rd.
Freshman Martina Yu posted her first collegiate even or under-par round with a 72.
Duke's 10-under, 278, was the tied for seventh-lowest 18-hole score on a par-72 course in the second round.
The Blue Devils currently rank second in par-4 scoring (-7) and second in par-5 scoring (-14) among the field.
Duke owns 37 birdies, which ranks fifth.
The Blue Devils were 1-over-par over the first nine holes, but closed strong with a 10-under ledger on the back nine Monday.

WHAT IS NEXT

All teams will open play Tuesday in the final round with an 8:45 a.m., shotgun start.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".

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All Six Blue Devils Shoot Even or Better; Duke Tied Second Overall

Players Mentioned

Anna Cañado Espinal

Carla De Troia

Rylie Heflin

Katie Li

Andie Smith

Martina Yu

Duke information

All Six Blue Devils Shoot Even or Better; Duke Tied Second Overall

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Anna Cañado Espinal

Carla De Troia

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Katie Li

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Martina Yu

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