Smith Paces Blue Devils in First Round of ANNIKA Intercollegiate

LAKE ELMO, Minn. – The preseason sixth-ranked Duke women's golf team had a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign Monday morning at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, but cooled off, finishing with a 15-over, 303, at the Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo.

The Blue Devils were 3-under-par early in the round as freshman Rianne Malixi was 2-under and junior Katie Li was 1-under while Duke was leading the field. As a team, the Blue Devils had five birdies over the first four holes, but had only four birdies and one eagle the rest of the way.

HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND ONE

The Blue Devils opened the day on hole No. 10.
Leading Duke on day one was graduate student Andie Smith as she totaled a 2-over, 74, which included an eagle on her final hole of the day.Smith, who hails from Hobe Sound, Fla., registered a birdie on her first hole, No. 10, as she rolled in a 10-footer.She then played her next nine holes at 5-over.Smith closed strong with seven pars in a row from No. 2-8, before connecting on the eagle.On No. 9, Smith hit an 8-iron from 161 yards to a foot for eagle.She hit 11 fairways and 12 greens, while registering three up-and-downs.
Rookie Rianne Malixi made her Duke debut Monday by shooting a 5-over, 77.She opened the day with two pars and then rolled in back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13.Malixi, a native Manila, Philippines, was held without a birdie the rest of the way.
Junior Katie Li carded a 3-over, 75, in the opening round for the Blue Devils.She opened her day by hitting her 8-iron from 152 yards on the par-3 No. 12 to three feet for birdie.Li, who is from Basking Ridge, N.J., then suffered a double-bogey on No. 15.She returned to even par as she hit her 5-iron from 185 yards to 35 feet and 2-putted for birdie on No. 18.Li played her final nine holes at 3-over, while totaling 30 putts.
In her first action as a Blue Devil, freshman Avery McCrery birdied the 345-yard, par-4 No. 10 as she hit a 9-iron from 109 yards to a foot for birdie.Over her next 16 holes she was 6-over-par, but closed strong with a birdie as she hit her 54-degree wedge from 15 yards on the par-5 No. 9 hole to three feet.McCrery hit 10 fairways and 11 greens on the day as she signed for a 77.
Sophomore Carla De Troia had a slow start to her round as she was 7-over through 10 holes, but played the final eight holes at even par.She hit her 54-degree wedge from 78 yards to a foot on No. 2 for her first birdie of the day and then hit a 4-iron from 170 yards to eight feet for birdie on No. 6.She hit 11 greens on the day, while finishing with an 80.
As a team, Duke sits in 10th overall with a 303.Northwestern (287), South Carolina (291), Southern California (292), Wake Forest (294) and Pepperdine (296).

NOTES

Andie Smith registered her fifth career eagle on her final hole of the day, the 504-yard, par-5 ninth hole. Smith was one of four golfers to register an eagle in round one.
On the first three par-5 holes (No. 17, No. 18 and No. 2, Duke registered only two birdies.The Blue Devils had an eagle and birdie on the final par-5, which was No. 9.Duke finished the day with a 3-over-par ledger on the four par-5 holes.
Duke finished with only nine birdies on the day, which was tied for 11th.
The Blue Devils' 54 pars were tied for third.

WHAT IS NEXT

Duke will tee off in round two beginning at 9:35 a.m., (ET) Tuesday, Sept. 8.The second and third rounds will be broadcast via livestream here via Babygrande Golf.

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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Duke Results
Andie Smith       74
Katie Li                75
Avery McCrery   77
Rianne Malixi     77
Carla De Troia   80