Duke Opens with One-Shot Lead at ACC Championship

From Duke coach, Jack Winters

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Duke Opens with One-Shot Lead at ACC Championship

April 13, 2017
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. – The seventh-ranked Duke women's golf team kicked off the ACC Championship Thursday at 6,192-yard, par 72 The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., and featured a first round four-under-par, 284, which leads by one-stroke with 36 holes remaining.

"I thought we did ok today," said Duke head coach Dan Brooks. "We didn't play the very best that we can play. It was good but not great. This is a course that will give you lots of opportunities. It is a really good golf course in really, really good shape, but it is not the difficulty of Sedgefield. That is why you see team's kind of pooling at the top."

The Blue Devils lead by one over Miami (285), while Florida State (287), North Carolina (287), Clemson (287) are tied for third. NC State (297), Louisville (298), Boston College (298), Notre Dame (298), Virginia Tech (304), Virginia (304) and Wake Forest (312) rounded out the field.

"It is always nice to be in the lead," commented Brooks. "I think it is good experience for them to be in the lead. We have had a lot of tournaments where we were fighting back this year so it is good to be out there where you have to feel that lead and maybe make that lead even greater the second day."

Duke was led by junior Leona Maguire, the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the nation, who turned in a four-under-par, 68. The 68 was tied for the individual lead along with North Carolina's Bryana Nguyen. The 2015 ACC Individual Champion, Maguire collected a team-best five birdies on the day and notched her ninth round in the 60s this season.

"I played pretty steady all day today and gave myself plenty of chances," said Maguire. "I started off with a birdie on the first, which was nice to get settled in. I finished with a chip-in birdie on the last was a nice way to finish it off."

A native of Cavan, Ireland, Maguire opened the day by draining a six-foot birdie putt and then registered six consecutive pars. She then hit an eight-iron to within eight feet and sank another birdie on the 367-yard, par four eighth hole to move to two-under. Maguire added another birdie on No. 10 as she nearly holed her approach shot and then moved to four-under with a 12-footer for birdie on No. 13. After missing the green on the 388-yard, par four 14th, she made a great up-and-down for par. Maguire suffered her lone bogey of the day at No. 17, but came back to hole a chip from 50 yards on No. 18 for birdie to finish with a 68. She finished the day with 14 greens, 12 fairways and rolled 28 putts.

"Obviously, anytime you are in the lead it is good," commented Maguire. "We will try to extend that lead as much as possible tomorrow to give us a good chance going into the last day. I think we talked about that. Try to focus on our own game, play Duke golf and see what happens."

As a team, Duke collected nine birdies over the opening nine holes and held a five-under-par ledger as the Blue Devils made the turn. Duke featured only two bogeys on the front nine, but had nine on the back nine.

Duke will be paired with Miami and Florida State in the second round Friday with tee times kicking off at 10:30 a.m.

Duke Results
- T1 Leona Maguire Duke 68 -4
- T13 Sandy Choi Duke 71 -1
- T15 Virginia Elena Carta Duke 72 E
- T18 Gurbani Singh Duke 73 +1
- T27 Ana Belac Duke 74 +2

Team Scores
1 Duke 284 -4
2 Miami 285 -3
T3 Florida State 287 -1
T3 North Carolina 287 -1
T3 Clemson 287 -1
6 North Carolina State 297 +9
T7 Louisville 298 +10
T7 Boston College 298 +10
T7 Notre Dame 298 +10
T10 Virginia Tech 304 +16
T10 Virginia 304 +16
12 Wake Forest 312 +24

Start Finish Player Team Scores
- T1 Bryana Nguyen North Carolina 68 -4
- T1 Leona Maguire Duke 68 -4
- T3 Renate Grimstad Miami 69 -3
- T3 Kim Metraux Florida State 69 -3
- T3 Sierra Sims Wake Forest 69 -3
- T6 Lauren Hartlage Louisville 70 -2
- T6 Alice Hewson Clemson 70 -2
- T6 Delfina Acosta Miami 70 -2
- T6 Leslie Cloots North Carolina 70 -2
- T6 Dewi Weber Miami 70 -2
- T6 Lydia Gumm Florida State 70 -2
- T6 Jennifer Kupcho Wake Forest 70 -2
- T13 Sydney Legacy Clemson 71 -1
- T13 Sandy Choi Duke 71 -1
- T15 Lois Kaye Go Boston College 72 E
- T15 Ana Paula Valdes Clemson 72 E
- T15 Virginia Elena Carta Duke 72 E
- T18 Allison Snakard Notre Dame 73 +1
- T18 Jordan Ferreira Notre Dame 73 +1
- T18 Jocelyn Chia Boston College 73 +1
- T18 Elizabeth Bose Virginia Tech 73 +1
- T18 Olivia Cason Louisville 73 +1
- T18 Kelly Whaley North Carolina 73 +1
- T18 Laura Kowohl North Carolina State 73 +1
- T18 Gurbani Singh Duke 73 +1
- T18 Matilda Castren Florida State 73 +1
- T27 Whitney Stevenson Virginia Tech 74 +2
- T27 Emma Albrecht Notre Dame 74 +2
- T27 Marisa Messana Clemson 74 +2
- T27 Lauren Diaz-Yi Virginia 74 +2
- T27 Sarah Bae North Carolina State 74 +2
- T27 India Clyburn North Carolina State 74 +2
- T27 Ana Belac Duke 74 +2
- T34 Morgan Gonzales Virginia 75 +3
- T34 Morgane Metraux Florida State 75 +3
- T34 Amanda Doherty Florida State 75 +3
- T37 Ailin Li Boston College 76 +4
- T37 Leonie Bettel North Carolina State 76 +4
- T37 Brynn Walker North Carolina 76 +4
- T37 Naomi Ko North Carolina State 76 +4
- T37 Lexi Harkins North Carolina 76 +4
- T37 Filippa Moork Miami 76 +4
- T43 Katie Kim Boston College 77 +5
- T43 Allison Woodward Virginia Tech 77 +5
- T43 Julia Ford Virginia 77 +5
- T43 Jacqueline Twitty Louisville 77 +5
- T47 Isabella DiLisio Notre Dame 78 +6
- T47 Anna Redding Virginia 78 +6
- T47 Molly Skapik Louisville 78 +6
- T47 Macarena Aguilera Miami 78 +6
- T51 Katie Barrand Boston College 79 +7
- T51 Shannon Gramley Louisville 79 +7
- T53 Anne Taylor Hough Virginia Tech 80 +8
- T53 Kennedy Swann Clemson 80 +8
- 55 Amanda Hollandsworth Virginia Tech 81 +9
- T56 Maddie Rose Hamilton Notre Dame 82 +10
- T56 Erica Herr Wake Forest 82 +10
- 58 Maho Hayakawa Virginia 84 +12
- 59 Monica Schumacher Wake Forest 91 +19
- 60 Anna Wears Wake Forest 92 +20