Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus ANNIKA Intercollegiate on September 8, 2025
Women's Golf
vs ANNIKA Intercollegiate
Women's Golf
Brooks, Dan
Dan Brooks
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- womensgolf@duke.edu
- Phone:
- (919) 964-1416
Duke women’s golf head coach Dan Brooks knows what it takes to make it to the pinnacle of a collegiate sport. In 41 years as the coach of the Duke Blue Devils, he has helped guide his squads to seven NCAA National Championships, 21 ACC Championships and 144 team victories, which is the most of any women’s golf coach in Division I history.
In 1998-99, all the hard work paid off as Duke secured the NCAA Championship, the first title for any Blue Devil women’s program in school history and the fourth overall. Duke withstood the high expectations of being ranked No. 1 in the country during the preseason, fought off the pressure of sporting the top ranking for most of the year and finished by holding the lead from start to finish at the NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Okla. It was one of the greatest seasons for any sport in school history.
In 2001-02, Brooks once again claimed the NCAA Championship in Auburn, Wash., as his Blue Devils fought off adversity in the fall without senior All-America and reigning NCAA Individual Champion Candy Hannemann. The Blue Devils struggled, winning only one of four tournaments, but rebounded in the spring with Hannemann back in the lineup to win all seven tournaments they played. Duke headed to the championship as the hottest team in golf. The Blue Devils hung in the top four during the entire tournament and made up nine strokes in the last three holes of the final round to capture the title by six strokes.
In 2004-05, Brooks headed to his home state of Oregon for the second time as a head coach to lead the Blue Devils at the 2005 NCAA Championship. With approximately 30 family and friends in attendance, Brooks kept the Blue Devils at striking distance the first two days and on the third day Duke came alive on the back nine, sinking 15 birdies on its way to shooting 11-under-par over the final nine holes.
The back nine led Duke to a six-under-par score and an eight-stroke lead over Auburn, after going into the day with a nine-stroke deficit to the Tigers. Leading the Duke charge was sophomore Anna Grzebien with a tournament-best round of 65 and Brittany Lang with a three-under-par 68. Grzebien catapulted to the individual lead by four strokes with 18 holes remaining. Grzebien and Duke hung on for a five-stroke team victory and one-stroke individual win in the final round.
In 2006, the Blue Devils were once again ranked No. 1 in the preseason and went on to be atop the polls for the entire season, but when it came time for the NCAA Championship, the Blue Devils were not considered the favorite by many in the media contingent.
After the first two days, Duke was in second place and only three shots off the lead, but for the second straight year the third round was moving day for the Blue Devils. Duke went on to shoot a team-best one-under-par, 287, and went on to take a 13-stroke lead going into the final day. The Blue Devils would go on to win the title by an amazing 10 strokes and earned back-to-back championships for the first time in women’s golf since 1997 and 1998.
In 2007, Brooks guided Duke to an amazing fifth NCAA title and its third straight NCAA crown. The Blue Devils became only the second team to win three straight titles since ASU accomplished the feat from 1992-95. Duke headed to the championship as the second ranked team in the nation and trailed by eight strokes after day one. The Blue Devils made their run in the second round firing a one-under-par total of 287 and led by seven strokes after 36 holes of play. Duke would never trail the rest of the way and won its fifth NCAA Championship by an astonishing 15 strokes.
After winning his third straight National Championship, Brooks was awarded the 2007 NGCA National Coach of the Year, marking the fifth time he had received national recognition.
Heading back to Tulsa, Okla., for the first time since claiming his first NCAA Championship, Brooks and the Blue Devils were able to make it a perfect 2-for-2 as Duke claimed its sixth NCAA Championship in 2013-14 with a two stroke win over Southern California at the Tulsa Country Club.
Duke opened the tournament in third place and was in second following 36 holes. The Blue Devils carded an even-par, 278, in the third round on their way to opening a six-stroke lead with 18 holes remaining. On the final day, Southern California made its charge and was 10-under-par at one point. The Trojans would open a four-stroke lead on the back nine, but Duke played the final nine holes at six-under to win the title. Sophomore Celine Boutier placed second overall with a four-under, 276.
Brooks and the Blue Devils were able to make it No. 7 in 2019 as he led Duke to its first NCAA Championship in match play since the event went in that direction in 2015.
Duke led after day two of stroke play following a very impressive 11-under-par score and went on to finish second after 54 holes of stroke play. Heading to match play as the No. 2 seed, the Blue Devils took down Stanford, Arizona and Wake Forest, all in 3-2 ledgers, to claim the title.
For the seventh time, Brooks was awarded the WGCA National Coach of the Year award as the Blue Devils won a total of three titles on the year.
Developing consistency has been a trademark for the Duke program, just as Brooks, a seven-time National Coach of the Year, has his own trademark of being an excellent teacher of the game.
Coach Brooks realizes that golfers are individuals, each having her own special needs and talents. Through experience, Brooks has learned to adapt his teaching and coaching abilities to the individual.
These working relationships between coach and player have made Duke as lethal a unit as any in the country. What Brooks and the Blue Devils have accomplished is very impressive: seven NCAA Championships in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2019; a final ranking of No. 1 seven years in a row (2001-07); 10 straight top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championship from 2001-10; a final No. 1 ranking in 2021; a runner-up finish at the 2013 NCAA Championship; advanced to the semifinals of match play in 2015, 2016 and 2021; a No. 4 final ranking in 2018; a final No. 2 national ranking in 2019; a No. 7 final ranking in 2017; a No. 8 final ranking in 2012; a tied for eighth placement at the 2010 NCAA Championship; a sixth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship; a third-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championship and final ranking of No. 3; a third-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Championship; a second-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championship; a final ranking of No. 2 in 2000; a No. 1 final ranking in 1999; a fourth-place finish at the 1998 NCAA Championship; a fourth-place finish in the 1994 NCAA Championship; a No. 1 national ranking during the 1992-93 campaign; a fifth-place finish at the NCAAs in 1988; a seventh-place NCAA spot in 1987; and a final national ranking of No. 16 at the conclusion of the 1984-85 season, Brooks’ first year at Duke.
Over the last 27 years, Duke has established itself as the nation’s top women’s collegiate golf team with seven national titles, 118 event titles, 16 ACC titles, four NCAA individual champions, and 16 ACC individual medalist honors. The Blue Devils have been tabbed No. 1 nationally in 12 out of the last 25 years.
Brooks has led Duke to being ranked No. 1 nationally in the Golfweek final poll seven different times, while earning top-5 placements 17 times and top-10 ledgers an NCAA-best 22 times.
The women’s golf team won the first five national titles in women’s athletics at Duke University, each coming during the Brooks era. The seven NCAA Championships are also the most by any team in school history.
Duke has collected 21 ACC Championship titles during Brooks’ term with the Blue Devils, while 21 individuals have captured medalist honors at the ACC event under Brooks. He has coached 42 All-ACC selections (107 total selections) and 26 (61 total selections) Scholar All-America choices. Brooks has also groomed 27 All-America players 63 total selections), including Virada Nirapathpongporn, Sarah LeBrun, Stephanie Sparks, Kathi Poppmeier, Jenny Chuasiriporn, Beth Bauer, Candy Hannemann, Brittany Lang, Anna Grzebien, Liz Janangelo, Jennie Lee, Amanda Blumenherst, Lindy Duncan, Celine Boutier, Virginia Elena Carta, Leona Maguire and Jaravee Boonchant.
Brooks has featured at least one first, second, third team or honorable mention All-America selection with the Blue Devils every season since 1992-93. Duke is the only school nationally to accomplish this feat.
On Oct. 23, 2005, Brooks won his 92nd career tournament, which broke Mark Gale of San Jose State’s record of 91 victories to become the all-time wins leader for NCAA Division I. Altogether in Brooks’ 41 years, Duke has collected an incredible 144 tournament titles.
His efforts with the nationally known Duke squad haven’t gone unnoticed as Brooks was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Duke Hall of Fame in 2016. He was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Association Hall of Fame in December of 2021 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in April of 2022.
Brooks was tabbed as the head coach of the 2020 United States Arnold Palmer Cup squad, which was played at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Bay Hill, Fla.
In addition to being tabbed ACC Coach of the Year in 1993, 1996-2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021, Brooks has also picked up Region Coach of the Year accolades 10 times and was the NGCA /WGCA National Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2019.
The 67-year-old Brooks received his B.S. degree in history from Oregon State in 1981. He was among OSU’s top golfers during his collegiate career. Brooks went on to receive a Masters of of Arts in Liberal Studies in December of 1996 from Duke.
In addition to his responsibilities with the women’s golf program, he teaches students at the Duke Golf Club as a PGA Teaching Professional. He also directs a summer youth instructional program called the Duke Academy of Golf.
In 1998-99, all the hard work paid off as Duke secured the NCAA Championship, the first title for any Blue Devil women’s program in school history and the fourth overall. Duke withstood the high expectations of being ranked No. 1 in the country during the preseason, fought off the pressure of sporting the top ranking for most of the year and finished by holding the lead from start to finish at the NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Okla. It was one of the greatest seasons for any sport in school history.
In 2001-02, Brooks once again claimed the NCAA Championship in Auburn, Wash., as his Blue Devils fought off adversity in the fall without senior All-America and reigning NCAA Individual Champion Candy Hannemann. The Blue Devils struggled, winning only one of four tournaments, but rebounded in the spring with Hannemann back in the lineup to win all seven tournaments they played. Duke headed to the championship as the hottest team in golf. The Blue Devils hung in the top four during the entire tournament and made up nine strokes in the last three holes of the final round to capture the title by six strokes.
In 2004-05, Brooks headed to his home state of Oregon for the second time as a head coach to lead the Blue Devils at the 2005 NCAA Championship. With approximately 30 family and friends in attendance, Brooks kept the Blue Devils at striking distance the first two days and on the third day Duke came alive on the back nine, sinking 15 birdies on its way to shooting 11-under-par over the final nine holes.
The back nine led Duke to a six-under-par score and an eight-stroke lead over Auburn, after going into the day with a nine-stroke deficit to the Tigers. Leading the Duke charge was sophomore Anna Grzebien with a tournament-best round of 65 and Brittany Lang with a three-under-par 68. Grzebien catapulted to the individual lead by four strokes with 18 holes remaining. Grzebien and Duke hung on for a five-stroke team victory and one-stroke individual win in the final round.
In 2006, the Blue Devils were once again ranked No. 1 in the preseason and went on to be atop the polls for the entire season, but when it came time for the NCAA Championship, the Blue Devils were not considered the favorite by many in the media contingent.
After the first two days, Duke was in second place and only three shots off the lead, but for the second straight year the third round was moving day for the Blue Devils. Duke went on to shoot a team-best one-under-par, 287, and went on to take a 13-stroke lead going into the final day. The Blue Devils would go on to win the title by an amazing 10 strokes and earned back-to-back championships for the first time in women’s golf since 1997 and 1998.
In 2007, Brooks guided Duke to an amazing fifth NCAA title and its third straight NCAA crown. The Blue Devils became only the second team to win three straight titles since ASU accomplished the feat from 1992-95. Duke headed to the championship as the second ranked team in the nation and trailed by eight strokes after day one. The Blue Devils made their run in the second round firing a one-under-par total of 287 and led by seven strokes after 36 holes of play. Duke would never trail the rest of the way and won its fifth NCAA Championship by an astonishing 15 strokes.
After winning his third straight National Championship, Brooks was awarded the 2007 NGCA National Coach of the Year, marking the fifth time he had received national recognition.
Heading back to Tulsa, Okla., for the first time since claiming his first NCAA Championship, Brooks and the Blue Devils were able to make it a perfect 2-for-2 as Duke claimed its sixth NCAA Championship in 2013-14 with a two stroke win over Southern California at the Tulsa Country Club.
Duke opened the tournament in third place and was in second following 36 holes. The Blue Devils carded an even-par, 278, in the third round on their way to opening a six-stroke lead with 18 holes remaining. On the final day, Southern California made its charge and was 10-under-par at one point. The Trojans would open a four-stroke lead on the back nine, but Duke played the final nine holes at six-under to win the title. Sophomore Celine Boutier placed second overall with a four-under, 276.
Brooks and the Blue Devils were able to make it No. 7 in 2019 as he led Duke to its first NCAA Championship in match play since the event went in that direction in 2015.
Duke led after day two of stroke play following a very impressive 11-under-par score and went on to finish second after 54 holes of stroke play. Heading to match play as the No. 2 seed, the Blue Devils took down Stanford, Arizona and Wake Forest, all in 3-2 ledgers, to claim the title.
For the seventh time, Brooks was awarded the WGCA National Coach of the Year award as the Blue Devils won a total of three titles on the year.
Developing consistency has been a trademark for the Duke program, just as Brooks, a seven-time National Coach of the Year, has his own trademark of being an excellent teacher of the game.
Coach Brooks realizes that golfers are individuals, each having her own special needs and talents. Through experience, Brooks has learned to adapt his teaching and coaching abilities to the individual.
These working relationships between coach and player have made Duke as lethal a unit as any in the country. What Brooks and the Blue Devils have accomplished is very impressive: seven NCAA Championships in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2019; a final ranking of No. 1 seven years in a row (2001-07); 10 straight top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championship from 2001-10; a final No. 1 ranking in 2021; a runner-up finish at the 2013 NCAA Championship; advanced to the semifinals of match play in 2015, 2016 and 2021; a No. 4 final ranking in 2018; a final No. 2 national ranking in 2019; a No. 7 final ranking in 2017; a No. 8 final ranking in 2012; a tied for eighth placement at the 2010 NCAA Championship; a sixth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship; a third-place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championship and final ranking of No. 3; a third-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Championship; a second-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championship; a final ranking of No. 2 in 2000; a No. 1 final ranking in 1999; a fourth-place finish at the 1998 NCAA Championship; a fourth-place finish in the 1994 NCAA Championship; a No. 1 national ranking during the 1992-93 campaign; a fifth-place finish at the NCAAs in 1988; a seventh-place NCAA spot in 1987; and a final national ranking of No. 16 at the conclusion of the 1984-85 season, Brooks’ first year at Duke.
Over the last 27 years, Duke has established itself as the nation’s top women’s collegiate golf team with seven national titles, 118 event titles, 16 ACC titles, four NCAA individual champions, and 16 ACC individual medalist honors. The Blue Devils have been tabbed No. 1 nationally in 12 out of the last 25 years.
Brooks has led Duke to being ranked No. 1 nationally in the Golfweek final poll seven different times, while earning top-5 placements 17 times and top-10 ledgers an NCAA-best 22 times.
The women’s golf team won the first five national titles in women’s athletics at Duke University, each coming during the Brooks era. The seven NCAA Championships are also the most by any team in school history.
Duke has collected 21 ACC Championship titles during Brooks’ term with the Blue Devils, while 21 individuals have captured medalist honors at the ACC event under Brooks. He has coached 42 All-ACC selections (107 total selections) and 26 (61 total selections) Scholar All-America choices. Brooks has also groomed 27 All-America players 63 total selections), including Virada Nirapathpongporn, Sarah LeBrun, Stephanie Sparks, Kathi Poppmeier, Jenny Chuasiriporn, Beth Bauer, Candy Hannemann, Brittany Lang, Anna Grzebien, Liz Janangelo, Jennie Lee, Amanda Blumenherst, Lindy Duncan, Celine Boutier, Virginia Elena Carta, Leona Maguire and Jaravee Boonchant.
Brooks has featured at least one first, second, third team or honorable mention All-America selection with the Blue Devils every season since 1992-93. Duke is the only school nationally to accomplish this feat.
On Oct. 23, 2005, Brooks won his 92nd career tournament, which broke Mark Gale of San Jose State’s record of 91 victories to become the all-time wins leader for NCAA Division I. Altogether in Brooks’ 41 years, Duke has collected an incredible 144 tournament titles.
His efforts with the nationally known Duke squad haven’t gone unnoticed as Brooks was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Duke Hall of Fame in 2016. He was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Association Hall of Fame in December of 2021 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in April of 2022.
Brooks was tabbed as the head coach of the 2020 United States Arnold Palmer Cup squad, which was played at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Bay Hill, Fla.
In addition to being tabbed ACC Coach of the Year in 1993, 1996-2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021, Brooks has also picked up Region Coach of the Year accolades 10 times and was the NGCA /WGCA National Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2019.
The 67-year-old Brooks received his B.S. degree in history from Oregon State in 1981. He was among OSU’s top golfers during his collegiate career. Brooks went on to receive a Masters of of Arts in Liberal Studies in December of 1996 from Duke.
In addition to his responsibilities with the women’s golf program, he teaches students at the Duke Golf Club as a PGA Teaching Professional. He also directs a summer youth instructional program called the Duke Academy of Golf.
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