Duke Women's Golf in NCAA Finals

[sagegrouse]

One of Duke's two most successful sports teams is the women's golf Blue Devils, winner of six NCAA championships. The Blue Devils are playing in the NCAA finals in Eugene, Oregon, but have a lot of work to do, standing tied for 21st (http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/gsnavteam8169.html) in the 24-team field. Virginia Elena Carter is tied for third in the individual standings (http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/gsnavteam8169.html) at -3. Third-ranked Leona Maguire is at even par 72, but the other players trail badly, with Sandy Choi at 78, Celine Boutier at 80 and Gurbani Singh last in the field at 81.

But there's time to make up ground, as the women's golf finals is a marathon -- seventy-two holes of medal play, finishing up Monday (Golf Channel at 6:30PM ET). The top eight teams then "duke" it out in match play to determine the winner: quarters and semis on Tuesday and the finals on Wednesday, all carried by the Golf Channel.

Oklahoma State is in the lead at -4. Duke, at +11, is six shots out of eighth place, which would qualify for the playoffs. We need to make up some ground and do it today.

Go Duke!

[BD80]

... Third-ranked Leona Maguire is at even par 72, ...

Where's Lisa?

[sagegrouse]

Where's Lisa?

Leona Maguire's twin, Lisa, is on the seven-person team, but not in the five-person lineup at Eugene. Senior Yi Xiao is also sitting out.

As most of you know, the entire Duke women's team hails from overseas: France, Italy, South Korea, Ireland, Ireland, India and China.

[sagegrouse]

Duke improved by 16 strokes today, going from +11 on Friday to -5 on Saturday, vaulting up the standings from T-21 to, as of now, tied for tenth. Duke played the morning round, and afternoon round is just underway.

Our own Virginia Elena Carta is atop the leader board at -7, after a 68 today. Leona Maguire is at -2 and tied for 9th. Positions will change as the afternoon round proceeds.

A shout out to Gulbani Singh, who had a tournament-worst 83 yesterday, but rebounded with a 74 today +2. Sandy Choi was -1, and Celine Boutier shot a 77. Best four-out-of-five rounds count for each team.

Southern California has a five-shot lead at the moment at -7, but the important thing is to finish in the top eight and get into the match play quarterfinals.

[grossbus]

Thanks for the updates sage.

[MCFinARL]

Duke finishes the day in a three way tie for ninth, with the teams from third through ninth fairly closely bunched. Virginia Elena Carta is now in third, two strokes back.

Let's hope for a strong round tomorrow.

[awhom111]

The teams higher up the standings tee off first on Sunday so Duke is set for an 8:36 start to the day locally here out West.

Besides being a stroke back of 8th place, we are now 7 strokes up on 16th place. The last 9 teams are eliminated after tomorrow and only the top 15 plus some individuals will play on Monday. It is quite a crowd in the middle with 3rd at +1 and 12th at +7.

[sagegrouse]

First the good news: through the first few holes on Sunday, Duke is -2 and the only team under par, sitting in fifth position.

However, we began with two (TWO) double bogies by Celine and Leona.

More to the point, Celine is out of it today, sitting at six-over after seven holes. The other four women are on their own, which ups the pressure. On the other hand, they have seen pressure before, and I am sure they will scoff at it.

Kindly,
Sage
'Six-over after seven holes? Not good for me, but not terrible either'

[arnie]

First the good news: through the first few holes on Sunday, Duke is -2 and the only team under par, sitting in fifth position.

However, we began with two (TWO) double bogies by Celine and Leona.

More to the point, Celine is out of it today, sitting at six-over after seven holes. The other four women are on their own, which ups the pressure. On the other hand, they have seen pressure before, and I am sure they will scoff at it.

Kindly,
Sage
'Six-over after seven holes? Not good for me, but not terrible either'

Duke tied for 2nd only 2 strokes behind USC. By far the best 2nd/3rd rounds in the field. Didn't realize this team could win another championship - N&O featured a UNC golfer last week, didn't mention Duke in the field.

[sagegrouse]

Heroic performance! What do I mean?


An eight-under par 280 today, five strokes better than any of the top twelve teams.
Moved all the way up to a tie for second place, starting the day at a tie for tenth and beginning the tournament in a tie for 21st.
Virginia shot a six-under 66 and now leads the entire field by six strokes. (Half the field is still on the course, playing an afternoon round.) What a performance by our freshman from Italy!
Eight-under despite a meltdown performance by Celine. She was never a factor and finished with a 12-over 84. The other women KNEW it was up to them.
How about this? Leona made one double bogey and Gurbani made two – in all three cases they were followed up with birdies. Clutch!

Oh, and by the way, we made up 11 strokes on tournament leader Southern California. Duke is tied with UCLA and trails USC by two shots.

[sagegrouse]

In other Sunday action, several ACC teams are still in play. The cut-down today is to 15 teams, which go to the fourth and final stroke-play round tomorrow. As of this moment, Virginia sits ninth and UNC and FSU are tied for 13th. All three teams are about halfway through their Sunday round.

Tomorrow the prize is to finish in the top eight and qualify for the quarterfinals Tuesday. The Monday finish also crowns the individual champion. Go, Virginia Elena Carta!

Here's the TV schedule on the Golf Channel:

4th round Monday at 7PM ET
Quarterfinals Tuesday at 4PM
Semis Tuesday at 6:30 PM
Finals on Wednesday (not on my TV schedule but probably Wed. evening)

[SoCalDukeFan]

Heroic performance! What do I mean?


An eight-under par 280 today, five strokes better than any of the top twelve teams.
Moved all the way up to a tie for second place, starting the day at a tie for tenth and beginning the tournament in a tie for 21st.
Virginia shot a six-under 66 and now leads the entire field by six strokes. (Half the field is still on the course, playing an afternoon round.) What a performance by our freshman from Italy!
Eight-under despite a meltdown performance by Celine. She was never a factor and finished with a 12-over 84. The other women KNEW it was up to them.
How about this? Leona made one double bogey and Gurbani made two – in all three cases they were followed up with birdies. Clutch!

Oh, and by the way, we made up 11 strokes on tournament leader Southern California. Duke is tied with UCLA and trails USC by two shots.

It was an heroic performance. With Celine way off her game Duke was essentially playing 4 handed, and they knew it.

Love this team!!!

SoCal

[mdj]

with no knowledge of the tourney thus far I just read this thread tip to bottom. It was quite the page turner :). I'm looking forward to watching the action tomorrow night. GO DUKE!!

[SoCalDukeFan]

with no knowledge of the tourney thus far I just read this thread tip to bottom. It was quite the page turner :). I'm looking forward to watching the action tomorrow night. GO DUKE!!

Flor those of you who do not know college golf:

Most tournaments are 5 player teams, each day the best four scores count. When one player is having a bad day, the pressure is on the other 4.

The NCAA tournament starts with 24 teams. After 3 rounds it cuts to 15, then after four rounds cut to 8. The 8 then have 3 rounds of match play, a la elite 8 in NCAA basketball.

There is a team medal champion (kinda like the ACC regular season champ) after 4 rounds. The national champ is the winner of the match plays. The medal champion has never the win the match play in either men or women's. This is only the 2nd year for this format for the women, men's has had it a little longer.

There is an individual champ after the four rounds.

Right now Duke is tied for 2nd after 3 rounds, 2 shots off the lead. Duke frosh Virginia Elena Carta is the individual leader by 6 shots.

Golf Channel will cover the tournament starting tomorrow at 7 eastern time. Coverage also on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some coverage tomorrow at 3 on Golf Central.

These ladies are great representatives of Duke in all aspects. Generally excellent students, excellent golfers, and excellent people.

SoCal

[awhom111]

Heroic performance! What do I mean?


An eight-under par 280 today, five strokes better than any of the top twelve teams.
Moved all the way up to a tie for second place, starting the day at a tie for tenth and beginning the tournament in a tie for 21st.
Virginia shot a six-under 66 and now leads the entire field by six strokes. (Half the field is still on the course, playing an afternoon round.) What a performance by our freshman from Italy!
Eight-under despite a meltdown performance by Celine. She was never a factor and finished with a 12-over 84. The other women KNEW it was up to them.
How about this? Leona made one double bogey and Gurbani made two – in all three cases they were followed up with birdies. Clutch!

Oh, and by the way, we made up 11 strokes on tournament leader Southern California. Duke is tied with UCLA and trails USC by two shots.

In a pretty bizarre development, Duke has the player at both the top and bottom of the leaderboard right now. With as much experience as Celine has, I would think that she will figure out a way to get back on track and end her career on a strong note. Overall, we have so much talent and experience and coaching that I always feel good in these situations.

Duke is also the only non-Pac 12 team in the top six. It would not be unreasonble for six of the eight match play teams to be from the Pac 12.

[budwom]

Flor those of you who do not know college golf:

Most tournaments are 5 player teams, each day the best four scores count. When one player is having a bad day, the pressure is on the other 4.

The NCAA tournament starts with 24 teams. After 3 rounds it cuts to 15, then after four rounds cut to 8. The 8 then have 3 rounds of match play, a la elite 8 in NCAA basketball.

There is a team medal champion (kinda like the ACC regular season champ) after 4 rounds. The national champ is the winner of the match plays. The medal champion has never the win the match play in either men or women's. This is only the 2nd year for this format for the women, men's has had it a little longer.

There is an individual champ after the four rounds.

Right now Duke is tied for 2nd after 3 rounds, 2 shots off the lead. Duke frosh Virginia Elena Carta is the individual leader by 6 shots.

Golf Channel will cover the tournament starting tomorrow at 7 eastern time. Coverage also on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some coverage tomorrow at 3 on Golf Central.

These ladies are great representatives of Duke in all aspects. Generally excellent students, excellent golfers, and excellent people.

SoCal


Nice summary. Magna Carta?

[sagegrouse]

Here are the pairings for today (Monday) and the final medal play round.

Duke, UCLA, and USC -- the top three teams -- are playing threesomes beginning at 1:10 PDT, which will be 4:10 EDT.

Players will tee off in reverse order of scores:

Duke (T2, -2)
1:10 - Celine Boutier (132, +25)
1:20 - Gurbani Singh (T106, +13)
1:30 - Sandy Choi (T45, +4)
1:40 - Leona Maguire (T10, -3)
1:50 - Virginia Elena Carta (1, -13)

TV time on the Golf Channel (DirecTV 218) is shown as 7:00 PM EDT. I dunno if this will be live or tape-delayed (or a mix). In a four-hour round, Celine should be finishing about the time the telecast starts.

AWhom pointed out that Duke had the "bookends" in the field after three rounds -- #1 and #132 (last). I am pulling for everyone today but would really like to see the redoubtable Celine Boutier come through strong. Celine was not only a first-team All-American in 2015, but she won the Ladies' British Amateur last summer. This year Celine has had some good results, winning the LSU Classic in March and placing 4th at the Landfall Tradition in October, but she struggle her last three outings, including at the ACC's (#40) and the NCAA Regionals (#68). Go, Celine!!

Kindly,
Sage Grouse

1:10 - Celine Boutier
1:20 - Gurbani Singh
1:30 - Sandy Choi
1:40 - Leona Maguire

[budwom]

so taking the info from SoCal's post, even if we win today (very possible) that's not the real championship....that's determined in
match play tomorrow, right?

[sagegrouse]

so taking the info from SoCal's post, even if we win today (very possible) that's not the real championship...that's determined in
match play tomorrow, right?

You got it! If Virginia Elena Carta maintains her lead, she is the women's individual champion. Past Duke individual winners include Candy Hanneman in 2001, Virada Nirapathpongporn ("Oui") in 2002 and Anna Grzebian in 2005. I suppose there is a trophy for the team finishing medal play in first place, but the real rewards come in match play.

Otherwise, the top eight teams start play tomorrow (two elimination rounds) with the finals on Wednesday. As in NCAA hoops, a really "good seed" is a really good idea. The other top teams, USC and UCLA, are ranked #2 and #3 in the team rankings. (Duke is #5.)

Down the standings, #1 Alabama, which started the tournament even worse than Duke, in 23rd place after Day 1 and 21st after Day 2, rallied yesterday to make the field of 15 playing today. The Tide lies nine strokes out of the top eight, but a lot can happen quickly in a team golf tournament.

Duke, at -2, is 11 strokes clear of the teams tied for 8th, Virginia and Arizona. We really want Duke, however, to continue the fabulous momentum shown Saturday and Sunday.

[burnspbesq]

so taking the info from SoCal's post, even if we win today (very possible) that's not the real championship...that's determined in
match play tomorrow, right?

Tomorrow and Wednesday, I think. Match play format can be a snooze, or it can be ridiculously exciting.

[budwom]

it's just kind of weird to have two (sort of) championship formats...

[SoCalDukeFan]

it's just kind of weird to have two (sort of) championship formats...

is that it was done for TV. I think the thought process is that match play is much more familiar to most golfers and vmost iewers than the best 4 out of 5.

Duke won the NC in 2014 with the 4 out of 5 format. It was not televised but was on the Internet. In my opinion it was very exciting. Last year the match play format was also exciting for the women but less so for the men.

There is really only one champion, the winner of the match play. There may be some recognition for the stroke play champion just as the regular season ACC basketball champion may be recognized but the NC is the winner of the match play.

SoCal

[CameronBlue]

is that it was done for TV. I think the thought process is that match play is much more familiar to most golfers and vmost iewers than the best 4 out of 5.

Duke won the NC in 2014 with the 4 out of 5 format. It was not televised but was on the Internet. In my opinion it was very exciting. Last year the match play format was also exciting for the women but less so for the men.

There is really only one champion, the winner of the match play. There may be some recognition for the stroke play champion just as the regular season ACC basketball champion may be recognized but the NC is the winner of the match play.

SoCal

TV is probably the reason, but I wonder whether some coaches feel match play is a better measure of a team's relative strength against the field. This year's Duke team could be Exhibit A against the argument for a champion determined solely by stroke play with Virginia absolutely running away from the field and the impact of Celine's performance so far negated by the 4 out of 5 format. I seem to recall, (too lazy to go back and look) that Amanda Blumenherst almost singlehandedly willed Duke to one of its regional titles with a 9-under par final round a few years back. Against a field of amateurs in which the quality of competition is typically more uneven the possibility that a team with 1 or 2 stars can "steal" a title is a greater possibility. In stroke play Duke has been able to balance Celine's performance by strong performances from her teammates. Unless she can find her game, Duke will be at a disadvantage in match play. Best bit of trivia about this year's team: Duke has two National Players of the Year in Celine and Leona, with Virginia a strong candidate to be the 3rd.

Which brings up a question: Do the results of stroke play determine the pairings for match play or is it coach's choice?

[SoCalDukeFan]

TV is probably the reason, but I wonder whether some coaches feel match play is a better measure of a team's relative strength against the field. This year's Duke team could be Exhibit A against the argument for a champion determined solely by stroke play with Virginia absolutely running away from the field and the impact of Celine's performance so far negated by the 4 out of 5 format. I seem to recall, (too lazy to go back and look) that Amanda Blumenherst almost singlehandedly willed Duke to one of its regional titles with a 9-under par final round a few years back. Against a field of amateurs in which the quality of competition is typically more uneven the possibility that a team with 1 or 2 stars can "steal" a title is a greater possibility. In stroke play Duke has been able to balance Celine's performance by strong performances from her teammates. Unless she can find her game, Duke will be at a disadvantage in match play. Best bit of trivia about this year's team: Duke has two National Players of the Year in Celine and Leona, with Virginia a strong candidate to be the 3rd.

Which brings up a question: Do the results of stroke play determine the pairings for match play or is it coach's choice?

Coaches do the pairing.

"Team Match Play Pairings: The Division I Women's Golf Committee will determine match play lineups using the same method employed at the President's Cup matches. The higher seeded team (as determined through the 72-hole stroke-play portion), "Team 1", will have the first choice of putting a player on the board for Match #1. The opposing team, "Team 2", will then name its player for Match #1. Team 2 will then name its player for Match #2, and Team 1 will name its player for Match #2. The process will continue in an "S" curve until the players for all five matches are named. However, Team 1 may defer in the selection process and permit Team 2 to begin the overall selection process."

Almost all of the tournaments throughout the year are 4 out of 5. Duke did play in two match play events but I would guess some teams did not play in any. The champ is then determined by a format that is different from almost all of the season.

If two players have bad rounds then you have a very difficult time winning in 4 out of 5. I did not look it up but Amanda may have had a great round, but at least 3 of her other teammates should have had decent rounds. So if you have 3 stars and say me and a buddy you will not win many 4 out of 5 tournaments. But if you have 3 stars you can win 3 matches.

The men have had this match play deal for a few years, the women for one. Pretty sure that in all cases neither the top ranked team nor the team that finished first in the medal portion won the match play.

I would guess that the coaches for the top ranked teams would prefer the 4 out of 5 format to determine the champ. However the other coaches probably like this format as if they can get into the top 8 they then have a chance in match play.

SoCal

[Tom B.]

If you want to follow online, here's the link to the leaderboard:

http://www.ncaa.com/2016-di-womens-golf-leaderboard

[Olympic Fan]

Duke moves into the lead after 4-6 holes ... one shot over Southern Cal

[grossbus]

VEC draining some long birdie putts.

[grossbus]

Leona may have vertigo.

[grossbus]

We are slipping. Now in 6th. Still comfortable lead on 8th.

[Olympic Fan]

VEC up seven shots with four holes to go for the NCAA individual championship.

Duke has not going to win the team medal title, but looks very safe to qualify for match play.

[grossbus]

VEC National individual champion. Wow and congrats.

[msdukie]

VEC National individual champion. Wow and congrats.

Duke's 24th Individual NCAA National Championship.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=3757529

[DukieInKansas]

Congratulations!

[johnb]

Duke's 24th Individual NCAA National Championship.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=3757529

The list is interesting. Who knew we won 3 NC's in boxing in the 1930's?

I was a little surprised not see Nancy Hogshead on the list. Looking into it, it seems she left Duke after the 1981 season, but women didn't have national championships in swimming until the following season. Is that right??

[Olympic Fan]

So Duke draws Southern Cal in Tuesday's quarterfinals ...

[OZZIE4DUKE]

The list is interesting. Who knew we won 3 NC's in boxing in the 1930's?

I was a little surprised not see Nancy Hogshead on the list. Looking into it, it seems she left Duke after the 1981 season, but women didn't have national championships in swimming until the following season. Is that right??
Next time you're at Duke, go to the Hall of Fame at Schwartz Butters. There is a display case showing all of Duke's individual National Champions! There is more than just basketball there! They completely renovated the space last year.

[YmoBeThere]

What's nice to see is that they already have her name up.

[JasonEvans]

Aside from VEC, we were pretty awful yesterday. The rest of the team was universally among the worst in the field (based on my quick glance). They need to bounce back today because one player cannot carry you in match play!

-Jason "USC was a bad draw -- one of the top teams in the country all season long and a pretty big favorite over us, I suspect" Evans

[sagegrouse]

We start on the 10th hole at 7:00 AM against USC.

Leona (+3) vs. Karen Chung (+2)
Sandy Choi (+4) vs. Kyung Kim (+4)
Gurbani Singh (+18) vs. Robynn Ree (+8)
Virginia Elena (-16) vs. Tiffany Chan (-2)
Celine (+32, ouch!) vs. Gabriella Then (+5)


VEC shot 48 shots better than Celine. Wow! I'm really pulling for Mlle. Boutier today.

Go Duke!!!!

Kindly,
Sage
'Oh and both USC's are in the playoffs. South Carolina plays defending champion Stanford'
"Also, there's a real West Coast bias in the results. Poa annua on the greens? Five PAC-12 teams made the round of eight: Oregon, UDub, UCLA and the two mentioned"

[wilson]

We start on the 10th hole at 7:00 AM against USC.

Leona (+3) vs. Karen Chung (+2)
Sandy Choi (+4) vs. Kyung Kim (+4)
Gurbani Singh (+18) vs. Robynn Ree (+8)
Virginia Elena (-16) vs. Tiffany Chan (-2)
Celine (+32, ouch!) vs. Gabriella Then (+5)


Just to clarify for everyone: That's 7:00 Pacific Time.
Real time stats & results can be found here (http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=pairings&&lb=&x=0.98260726915&tid=9986).

[RepoMan]

Duke's 24th Individual NCAA National Championship.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=3757529

Interesting list. From 1936-2000, we had 7. Since 2001, we have had 17. What changed?

[wilson]

Interesting list. From 1936-2000, we had 7. Since 2001, we have had 17. What changed?The last 15 years have been a golden age for Duke women's golf, and the last ~decade has also seen vast improvement from the swimming & diving team, which for years was an ACC basement-dweller. Those two sports comprise the bulk of the individual champions.
You could make a similar comment about improvement in track & field (another sport which has contributed significantly to the list since 2001), although that sport was never as weak as pre-2000 Duke swimming.

[Rich]

Next time you're at Duke, go to the Hall of Fame at Schwartz Butters. There is a display case showing all of Duke's individual National Champions! There is more than just basketball there! They completely renovated the space last year.

Was just there visiting last week and it is AWESOME. The Hall of Honor is very, very cool too. My wife isn't a Dukie and she was totally impressed. Just like a mom she said, "it must be great for these kids to bring their families back years later to show them their accomplishments." The 5 National Championship trophies aren't too bad either. ;)

[nmduke2001]

Aside from VEC, we were pretty awful yesterday. The rest of the team was universally among the worst in the field (based on my quick glance). They need to bounce back today because one player cannot carry you in match play!

-Jason "USC was a bad draw -- one of the top teams in the country all season long and a pretty big favorite over us, I suspect" Evans

On the telecast yesterday, they said that Leona has been dealing with vertigo all week. Apparently it is the first time she has ever had it and she was struggling to even complete each round (going as far as not bending over for common tasks that she would normally do on the course). Here's hoping she feels better.

[duke79]

On the telecast yesterday, they said that Leona has been dealing with vertigo all week. Apparently it is the first time she has ever had it and she was struggling to even complete each round (going as far as not bending over for common tasks that she would normally do on the course). Here's hoping she feels better.

Yea, NOT good for Duke or Leona. Golf is a hard enough game to play well when everything is "normal". But to try to play when you have vertigo or dizziness will be very tough. The matches have started and Leona is already one down after two holes. I hope she can hang in there. I also worry about a psychological letdown by LEC, after her amazing four days in the stroke play. It will also be hard to keep that sort of momentum going into the match play. USC will be a tough match for Duke, no doubt.

[wilson]

All square through holes 3-6. Karen Chung of USC leads Duke's Leona Maguire 3-up through 6, Duke's Gurbani Singh is 1-up on USC's Robynn Ree through 3, and the other 3 matches are all square.
Follow live here (http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/gsnavmatch9986R1.html).

[CameronBlue]

All square through holes 3-6. Karen Chung of USC leads Duke's Leona Maguire 3-up through 6, Duke's Gurbani Singh is 1-up on USC's Robynn Ree through 3, and the other 3 matches are all square.
Follow live here (http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/gsnavmatch9986R1.html).

I presume we're all checking the same feed so these "updates" are somewhat pointless but fun distractions from work nonetheless. Still all square but 2-2-1 with Singh and Choi up 2 and 1 respectively with Celine hanging tough at A/S. Oddly Duke's two top performers Maguire and Carta are down multiple holes in their matches.

[wilson]

I presume we're all checking the same feed so these "updates" are somewhat pointless but fun distractions from work nonetheless. Still all square but 2-2-1 with Singh and Choi up 2 and 1 respectively with Celine hanging tough at A/S. Oddly Duke's two top performers Maguire and Carta are down multiple holes in their matches.Makes me wish I could watch online. Match play is exciting to watch, and this seems to be a nip and tuck matchup so far.

[duke79]

I presume we're all checking the same feed so these "updates" are somewhat pointless but fun distractions from work nonetheless. Still all square but 2-2-1 with Singh and Choi up 2 and 1 respectively with Celine hanging tough at A/S. Oddly Duke's two top performers Maguire and Carta are down multiple holes in their matches.

Yea, I'm following on the Golf Channel website live scoring update.

http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/ncaa/2016/ncaa-division-i-womens-golf-championship-quarterfinals-match-2/

It is a good distraction from work (LOL) - one of the perks of being self employed. I have a very lenient boss when it comes to following Duke sports during the work day.

The Golf Channel telecast comes on at 1:30 PM EST. I scheduled to DVR the telecast at home but then I realized the electric company is shutting off the power to our street today to change some poles. UGH. Luckily, I can watch the broadcast online at work.

Yes, Duke currently all square in the matches. Down two and up two. I AM worried about a letdown for VEC, after her strong four days in the medal play. And hard to play good golf with vertigo.

[CameronBlue]

Makes me wish I could watch online. Match play is exciting to watch, and this seems to be a nip and tuck matchup so far.

I'm beginning to like the format a lot more. It's easy to gloss over the added element of playing not only the course but your opponent as well. Match play obviously forces that added element of tension into the mix. "Grinding it out" is a cliche applicable to match play that makes the spectacle a lot more fun.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I'm beginning to like the format a lot more. It's easy to gloss over the added element of playing not only the course but your opponent as well. Match play obviously forces that added element of tension into the mix. "Grinding it out" is a cliche applicable to match play that makes the spectacle a lot more fun.

I was out of the country last year and could not watch.

Yesterday was very exciting and great for TV. Two competitions - individual and race to get to the final 8. While the individual was not close it was still lots of fun to see Virginia Elena Carta close out her win in record fashion. And lots of drama, heartbreak and joy as Oregon got the 8 spot and some other teams had their chances.

SoCal

[CameronBlue]

Yes, Duke currently all square in the matches. Down two and up two. I AM worried about a letdown for VEC, after her strong four days in the medal play. And hard to play good golf with vertigo.

Duke now down 3-2. VEC is 2 down through 5 but with plenty of course left for her to charge. Leona's match is slipping away, down 3 with 9 to play. What one can't glean from the golfstat.com updates is whether there are 3 birdie opportunities left for Leona on the back nine, if you're thinking strategy. She has to assume her opponent is going to play for par the rest of the way reducing the "error of commission" quotient so to speak.

[grossbus]

Celine and VEC coming back.

[grossbus]

We up in three, AS in one.

[grossbus]

Whoa, up in 4.

[CameronBlue]

We up in three, AS in one.

Now 4-1, Duke surging.

[SCMatt33]

Duke in pretty good shape now. 1-1 in finished matches, but Duke up multiple holes in the other 3 with two of them needing only to halve a single hole to clinch the point.

[JasonEvans]

We win!

Stanford up next, I think.

[grossbus]

Golf channel scoreboard slow and wrong.

[duke79]

We win!

Stanford up next, I think.

Yep, Duke moves on !! Clutch play.....

Golf Channel was just playing the Duke fight song.......great to hear......!!

[grossbus]

Stanford not done yet

[Reisen]

Golf channel scoreboard slow and wrong.

Phew, Phew, Phew. WTF Golf Channel???

[Tom B.]

Stanford not done yet

Stanford and South Carolina going down to the wire. Each team has won two matches. The Stanford player is 1-up in the fifth and final match with two holes to play.

[CameronBlue]

Great performance by the team and particularly Celine who likely had to battle a lot of inner demons in recapturing her confidence.

[Rich]

Phew, Phew, Phew. WTF Golf Channel???

6394

[wilson]

Format question: Is this a standard bracket, or is it re-seeded for each round?

[Tom B.]

Stanford and South Carolina going down to the wire. Each team has won two matches. The Stanford player is 1-up in the fifth and final match with two holes to play.


Now going to the 18th hole with the Stanford player still 1-up.

[sagegrouse]

Duke in pretty good shape now. 1-1 in finished matches, but Duke up multiple holes in the other 3 with two of them needing only to halve a single hole to clinch the point.

GO! GO! DUKE GOLF!!

Duke wins, 4-1: won four matches, lost one match.

Here's how each player scored (match play scores are a bit lower because of conceded putts)

Leona (L 4 & 2) +3 through 16 holes

Sandy (W 2 & 1) -4 through 17 holes

Gurbani (W 2 & 1) -1 through 17 holes

Virginia (W 3 & 2) -2 through 16

Celine (W 2 & 1) +1 through 16

Sandy is a rock; Virginia rallied to win going away; and Gurbani and Celine (who had struggled) were collectively at even par.

Leona has been ill all week -- get better!

[sagegrouse]

Format question: Is this a standard bracket, or is it re-seeded for each round?

Yes, it has to be because the women play 36 holes today.

[grossbus]

It's Stanford

[duke79]

It's Stanford

Should be a good match against Stanford - defending champs. Hope Leona is feeling better. Go Devils !!

[DukieInKansas]

Are the women carrying their bags this year?

[sagegrouse]

Matches start at 1:30 PDT:


RD 2 Time - Hole Stanford Duke
1 1:30 - 1 Mariah Stackhouse Gurbani Singh
2 1:40 - 1 Casey Danielson Leona Maguire
3 1:50 - 1 Lauren Kim Sandy Choi
4 2:00 - 1 Sierra Kersten Celine Boutier
5 2:10 - 1 Shannon Aubert Virginia Elena Carta


Stanford is rolling the dice by starting with their two strongest players.

Go Duke!

[duke79]

Maybe you can, but I'm surprised teams are not allowed to substitute players for those players who may be sick?

[rasputin]

Are the women carrying their bags this year?

Push-carts.

[grossbus]

WTF. Golf channel replaying quarters. No semi coverage until 6:30.

[duke79]

WTF. Golf channel replaying quarters. No semi coverage until 6:30.

I know........what's the deal with that. The semi final matches start at 4:30 PM EST. Why would they not cover it live?

[DST Fan]

The last 15 years have been a golden age for Duke women's golf, and the last ~decade has also seen vast improvement from the swimming & diving team, which for years was an ACC basement-dweller. Those two sports comprise the bulk of the individual champions.
You could make a similar comment about improvement in track & field (another sport which has contributed significantly to the list since 2001), although that sport was never as weak as pre-2000 Duke swimming.


In the way of providing a little more perspective on the swim team, it should be noted that all of the NCAA championships were won by two divers-- Nick McCory (4 times on platform) and Abby Johnston (1 time on 3-meter springboard). Nick and Abby also both won medals in synchronized diving at the 2012 London Olympics.

Nick and Abby both dove at Duke when Drew Johansen was the coach. Drew was the head coach of the Olympic dive team at the London games and then left Duke about a year after the Olympics. Duke diving has not had a comparable diver since Drew left.

The swim team has improved considerably since Dan Colella became the head coach in 2005. He left Tennessee, where he was the women's coach. The SEC is one of the top several NCAA swimming conferences and, at the top tier programs, the men's and women's teams have separate coaches.

The men's and women's teams at Duke have been finishing in in the middle of the pack at the ACC championships for the past 4-5 years. During that time, Duke fully funded the women's team (I believe at the same time softball was added), but my understanding is that the men's team continues to have no scholarships, which makes the men's ACC finishes the last few years particularly impressive. The women's team was 6th at ACCs this past year and is heading in the right direction.

[grossbus]

Push-carts.

Those that carried last year paid the price in the semis.

[DukieInKansas]

Those that carried last year paid the price in the semis.

That was my memory from last year. Glad they went to the push-carts this year.

[Tom B.]

It's Duke vs. the PAC 12, as Washington beat Virginia 3-1-1 and UCLA whomped Oregon 4-0-1 in the other quarterfinals.

[grossbus]

Down 3-1-1 3-5. Need to mount a replay of this morning's comeback.

[grossbus]

Down in 3, AS in 2.

Need to grind.

[grossbus]

We sure are getting less air time than UCLA/Udub

[grossbus]

Looking grim.

Nobody sharp, not even VEC.

[grossbus]

3 AS. We have to have all three!


Let's Go Duke!

[CameronBlue]

3 AS. We have to have all three!


Let's Go Duke!

or at least two, to get to what extra holes I presume? Nail biter. LGD!!

[grossbus]

We be done.

As I noted, nobody was sharp. Leona made a valiant effort. Vertigo is no joke.

Congrats again to VEC on her individual championship and kudos to the team for getting this far.

[SoCalDukeFan]

We be done.

As I noted, nobody was sharp. Leona made a valiant effort. Vertigo is no joke.

Congrats again to VEC on her individual championship and kudos to the team for getting this far.

These are great ladies and excellent representatives for Duke. Tough loss but when your senior is way off her game and your star has vertigo, getting this far is an accomplishment.

SoCal

[CameronBlue]

Nice job ladies. A young team that will be back.

[SilkyJ]

Thanks to all for posting the updates here. I just read 3 pages of the thread and it was exciting! Would love to know how we mounted comebacks in the quarters--seemed like we were toast and then came back strong on the back 9 in several matches.

Congrats to the Duke Women for another final four berth and an individual championship for VEC



Just to clarify for everyone: That's 7:00 Pacific Time.

bout time we started reporting things in the correct time zone ;);););)

[johnb]

While a bit disappointing, that was fun to watch. Reminds me that there has to be a market for more frequent coverage of non revenue sports pitched to alumni groups. The Longhorn network is helped along by its gazillion alums and a whole region that tends to adopt UT as a default favorite, but how expensive would it be to cover things wit a semi pro cameraman, etc??

[grossbus]

Covering golf requires a lot of cameras

[sagegrouse]

While a bit disappointing, that was fun to watch. Reminds me that there has to be a market for more frequent coverage of non revenue sports pitched to alumni groups. The Longhorn network is helped along by its gazillion alums and a whole region that tends to adopt UT as a default favorite, but how expensive would it be to cover things wit a semi pro cameraman, etc??


Covering golf requires a lot of cameras

I found the coverage to be good but stress-inducing. When the Golf Channel switched over to a Duke player, I knew she was either gonna make a great shot or miss one badly. The exception was the coverage of every shot during Virginia Elena's march to a huge victory.

OMG, the coverage of Oklahoma State's Linnea Johansson final hole was hide-behind-the-couch scary. Linnea needed a par to clinch a spot in the playoffs for Oklahoma State. She made triple bogey. And it seemed like the camera kept a close-up on her face during the entire debacle around the green and for ten minutes afterwards.

[grossbus]

I am not a great fan of golf channel's coverage of actual golf. The last solheim cup is an example. Wie had a great round, yet we saw only a chip shot she messed up. The showed mostly drives and putts and very little from the middle of the round. They also have a large number of commercials, although it seemed less than that this week.

[nmduke2001]

We be done.

As I noted, nobody was sharp. Leona made a valiant effort. Vertigo is no joke.

Congrats again to VEC on her individual championship and kudos to the team for getting this far.

I thought Leona was amazing. She nearly finished the match all square if not for a bad drive on 17. She was so sick that she needed one of the coaches with her the entire round to pick up the flag after putting because she couldn't bend over to pick it up herself. The announcers mentioned that on Monday, Leona had to convince herself that the ball was not moving at address. Pretty great effort, all things considered.

[duke79]

I thought Leona was amazing. She nearly finished the match all square if not for a bad drive on 17. She was so sick that she needed one of the coaches with her the entire round to pick up the flag after putting because she couldn't bend over to pick it up herself. The announcers mentioned that on Monday, Leona had to convince herself that the ball was not moving at address. Pretty great effort, all things considered.

Yes, VERY gutsy performance by Leona! She was in the match until the very last putt. She deserves a LOT of credit.

And congrats to all the team members! What an amazing performance by VEC to win the individual title in a record-breaking fashion. Another very good year for Duke women's golf. Would have been nice to have made it to the finals but Stanford is a very good team and it's hard to compete at this level when two of your best players are not at their best. It is a young team and next year should be exciting too.

[sagegrouse]

Yes, VERY gutsy performance by Leona! She was in the match until the very last putt. She deserves a LOT of credit.

And congrats to all the team members! What an amazing performance by VEC to win the individual title in a record-breaking fashion. Another very good year for Duke women's golf. Would have been nice to have made it to the finals but Stanford is a very good team and it's hard to compete at this level when two of your best players are not at their best. It is a young team and next year should be exciting too.

Stanford also gets a lotta credit for pulling it together at NCAA tournament time. The Cardinal was ranked only #12 among all the teams participating. Duke was #5; USC and UCLA were #2 and #3, FWIW, Alabama was #1 and didn't come close to making the playoffs.

I am still somewhat ambivalent about "36-hole Tuesday." I mean, for heavens sales! Classes are over! Why not take an extra day? Last year, our trim and slim ladies looked a bit fatigued in the semis against the sturdy Baylor misses, when the players had to carry their own bags. This year the players used push carts, but we played better in the morning against a tough USC team than against Stanford.

[rasputin]

Stanford also gets a lotta credit for pulling it together at NCAA tournament time. The Cardinal was ranked only #12 among all the teams participating. Duke was #5; USC and UCLA were #2 and #3, FWIW, Alabama was #1 and didn't come close to making the playoffs.

I am still somewhat ambivalent about "36-hole Tuesday." I mean, for heavens sales! Classes are over! Why not take an extra day? Last year, our trim and slim ladies looked a bit fatigued in the semis against the sturdy Baylor misses, when the players had to carry their own bags. This year the players used push carts, but we played better in the morning against a tough USC team than against Stanford.

I posted, in response to an inquiry yesterday, that they were using push carts. I watched the semis (on DVR) yesterday, and noticed that there were a few players carrying their bags.

[duke79]

Stanford also gets a lotta credit for pulling it together at NCAA tournament time. The Cardinal was ranked only #12 among all the teams participating. Duke was #5; USC and UCLA were #2 and #3, FWIW, Alabama was #1 and didn't come close to making the playoffs.

I am still somewhat ambivalent about "36-hole Tuesday." I mean, for heavens sales! Classes are over! Why not take an extra day? Last year, our trim and slim ladies looked a bit fatigued in the semis against the sturdy Baylor misses, when the players had to carry their own bags. This year the players used push carts, but we played better in the morning against a tough USC team than against Stanford.

I agree with you about the 36 holes on the first day. I'm not sure of the reason for this, but I do think the Duke players, at least, looked a little fatigued during the match against Stanford. Had to be very tough for Leona, especially, who was already not feeling well (and I noticed that she was carrying her own bag instead of using a pull cart?). Her last two tee shots, on 17 and 18, were both low pull hooks - the type of shot you hit when you are tired. Probably cost her the match, at that point.

[Indoor66]

Why would Duke suffer more fatigue than other teams? I don't see any reason for complaint - all play the same course for the same holes.

[sagegrouse]

Why would Duke suffer more fatigue than other teams? I don't see any reason for complaint - all play the same course for the same holes.

Last year the Devils were noticeably slighter than the Baylor team, to whom it lost in the afternoon round.

My point: college golf is an 18-hole per day contest. Why the eff should we have the NCAA quarters and semis on the same day?

[DukieInKansas]

Calling Coach Cut to help with off season training. :D

[SoCalDukeFan]

This current format is great for the fans but it is a lot of golf.

Why not cut the medal play portion to 54 holes and play the match play over 3 days?

I do think this tournament and this format has had all you could want in a sporting event.

First of all joy and dominance - how else to describe Virginia Elena Carta and her personality and 8 shot individual win.
You had heartbreak as Ok State and Az with good chances don't get into the quarterfinals.
A UCLA player 3 up with 3 to go, getting tied, then losing in the extra hole to a sand shot that went in for birdie.
Or the Washington player, down 3 with 3 to go winning the match with sand shot.
I could go on and on.

Duke will be back next year.

SoCal

[devildeac]

Why would Duke suffer more fatigue than other teams? I don't see any reason for complaint - all play the same course for the same holes.

K makes our ladies play too many minutes, err, rounds. Oh, wait, never mind. :rolleyes::o

[rsvman]

OMG, the coverage of Oklahoma State's Linnea Johansson final hole was hide-behind-the-couch scary. Linnea needed a par to clinch a spot in the playoffs for Oklahoma State. She made triple bogey. And it seemed like the camera kept a close-up on her face during the entire debacle around the green and for ten minutes afterwards.

Yeah. That hurt. In my opinion, the way she handled herself in that situation was absolutely exemplary.

I had half a mind to pick up a pen and paper and write her a letter telling her how impressed I was, and how much I admire the way she took it. Golf has a way of inflicting cruel punishment on its players, even the good ones. That could've happened to anyone. Most people would have fared a lot worse than she did, IMO.

[grossbus]

yeah, it was almost like they were hoping for tears.

[sagegrouse]

Luo from Washington just pitched in from 61 yards for birdie and the win in what looks like the deciding match between U Dub and Stanford.

[sagegrouse]

Luo from Washington just pitched in from 61 yards for birdie and the win in what looks like the deciding match between U Dub and Stanford.

Kim from Stanford was down three with three left, and won all three holes against Alvarez from U Dub. They are headed to the 19th hole.

Stackhouse from Stanford and Rhee from Washington are on their second extra hole.

Stanford must win both OT's; U Dub needs only to win one.

[awhom111]

Stanford also gets a lotta credit for pulling it together at NCAA tournament time. The Cardinal was ranked only #12 among all the teams participating. Duke was #5; USC and UCLA were #2 and #3, FWIW, Alabama was #1 and didn't come close to making the playoffs.

I am still somewhat ambivalent about "36-hole Tuesday." I mean, for heavens sales! Classes are over! Why not take an extra day? Last year, our trim and slim ladies looked a bit fatigued in the semis against the sturdy Baylor misses, when the players had to carry their own bags. This year the players used push carts, but we played better in the morning against a tough USC team than against Stanford.

Oddly enough, all of the other semifinalists still had classes. A number of the schools involved are on the quarter system thanks to the Pac 12 bias. USC is on semesters, so no excuses for them.


Luo from Washington just pitched in from 61 yards for birdie and the win in what looks like the deciding match between U Dub and Stanford.

It was such a great shot that Danielson of Stanford celebrated with her with as much enthuasiasm as any of the Washington team. I don't recall any Tarheels hugging Kris Jenkins after he made that shot...

[sagegrouse]

Kim from Stanford was down three with three left, and won all three holes against Alvarez from U Dub. They are headed to the 19th hole.

Stackhouse from Stanford and Rhee from Washington are on their second extra hole.

Stanford must win both OT's; U Dub needs only to win one.

Washington wins on the third extra hole -- Julianne Alvarez over Lauren Kim.

[grossbus]

Last couple of hours were fairly exciting.

[rsvman]

That was so much more compelling than the Cavs-Raptors game, wasn't it?

Alvarez had about a 15-foot putt to win the National Championship on 17, and then had to 2-putt the 18th for Washington to win. To be fair, it wasn't the world's easiest 2-putt on 18, up over a ridge and about 30-ish feet. She left the first putt about 5 feet short and lipped out the putt that would've won the thing.

Pretty impressive for her to still win the match in extra holes after losing 16, 17, and 18. And remember that she is a freshman, playing against a seasoned senior with lots of pressure experience.


What a great win for UDub!

[duke79]

That was so much more compelling than the Cavs-Raptors game, wasn't it?

Alvarez had about a 15-foot putt to win the National Championship on 17, and then had to 2-putt the 18th for Washington to win. To be fair, it wasn't the world's easiest 2-putt on 18, up over a ridge and about 30-ish feet. She left the first putt about 5 feet short and lipped out the putt that would've won the thing.

Pretty impressive for her to still win the match in extra holes after losing 16, 17, and 18. And remember that she is a freshman, playing against a seasoned senior with lots of pressure experience.


What a great win for UDub!

Yes, Congrats to UWash. Great win for them ! Very exciting and nerve-wracking finish. Looked like UWash would win quite easily, then Stanford came back to even the match and I thought that they would win with the momentum on their side. But the Freshman from UWash hung on to win her match on the 20th hole for the team win ! One of those matches where neither side deserved to lose. I actually felt sorry for the Stanford players (even though they beat Duke).

[jimsumner]

That was so much more compelling than the Cavs-Raptors game, wasn't it?

Alvarez had about a 15-foot putt to win the National Championship on 17, and then had to 2-putt the 18th for Washington to win. To be fair, it wasn't the world's easiest 2-putt on 18, up over a ridge and about 30-ish feet. She left the first putt about 5 feet short and lipped out the putt that would've won the thing.

Pretty impressive for her to still win the match in extra holes after losing 16, 17, and 18. And remember that she is a freshman, playing against a seasoned senior with lots of pressure experience.


What a great win for UDub!

Taking the trash out to the curb was more compelling than the Cavs-Raptors game.

[grossbus]

I did that, actually.

[MCFinARL]

Oddly enough, all of the other semifinalists still had classes. A number of the schools involved are on the quarter system thanks to the Pac 12 bias. USC is on semesters, so no excuses for them.



It was such a great shot that Danielson of Stanford celebrated with her with as much enthuasiasm as any of the Washington team. I don't recall any Tarheels hugging Kris Jenkins after he made that shot...

Yes, I agree. That was particularly nice to see in this tournament--the generous way the players responded to other people's success. They showed the whole Stanford team after that shot and, after their immediate shock, all smiled and acknowledged the the great play.

[johnb]

It looks like the team loses only Celine to graduation. How likely is Virginia to go pro? Have they announced recruitments for next year? I didn't find anything online, and there are lots of countries not yet represented on the squad.

Btw, since Leona was ill, why didn't they sneak her twin sister onto the course since she's also on the team, and they look alike? Or are there rules about cheating in golf?

[duke79]

It looks like the team loses only Celine to graduation. How likely is Virginia to go pro? Have they announced recruitments for next year? I didn't find anything online, and there are lots of countries not yet represented on the squad.

Btw, since Leona was ill, why didn't they sneak her twin sister onto the course since she's also on the team, and they look alike? Or are there rules about cheating in golf?

Very good questions. I also was wondering about what next year's team might look like. Unless Virginia turns pro (is this a consideration?), everyone will be back, with the exception of Celine. I have not read anything about recruits but we may only need one or two new players to fill out the team. Not to be a "homer", but it might be nice to have a U.S. player on the team.

Also, I wonder if there are NCAA rules that would allow for the substitution of another team member for a player who is too sick to play? (and I like your creative suggestion of surreptitiously substituting her twin sister !) I thought it was almost cruel to force Leona to play 36 holes of golf in one day when she was suffering from Vertigo. Frankly, she did not look good when walking around the course. (and she played very gutsy golf, under the circumstances. Credit to her!) I would have been furious as her parent, if she were my daughter.

[rsvman]

....Or are there rules about cheating in golf?
LOL!

[jv001]

It looks like the team loses only Celine to graduation. How likely is Virginia to go pro? Have they announced recruitments for next year? I didn't find anything online, and there are lots of countries not yet represented on the squad.

Btw, since Leona was ill, why didn't they sneak her twin sister onto the course since she's also on the team, and they look alike? Or are there rules about cheating in golf?

There are plenty of rules in golf about cheating, but somehow old roy is not required to play by the rule book. It's called the "Carolina way". GoDuke!

[awhom111]

Very good questions. I also was wondering about what next year's team might look like. Unless Virginia turns pro (is this a consideration?), everyone will be back, with the exception of Celine. I have not read anything about recruits but we may only need one or two new players to fill out the team. Not to be a "homer", but it might be nice to have a U.S. player on the team.

Also, I wonder if there are NCAA rules that would allow for the substitution of another team member for a player who is too sick to play? (and I like your creative suggestion of surreptitiously substituting her twin sister !) I thought it was almost cruel to force Leona to play 36 holes of golf in one day when she was suffering from Vertigo. Frankly, she did not look good when walking around the course. (and she played very gutsy golf, under the circumstances. Credit to her!) I would have been furious as her parent, if she were my daughter.

Whether any of the players will turn pro is a question every season. So far we have signed Ana Belac from Slovenia to further diversify the international flavor. Generally we need at least six players since we pretty frequently have players get exemptions for other events so we can avoid having to go with the four player lineup. Obviously that also helps with injuries before tournaments, but does nothing for mid-tournament illnesses.

The Lisa trick would have been funny to pull off, but she was not actually in the country at the time so it would have been a little tricky. She won the Ulster Open Championship, which not only featured 36 holes of stroke day on the first day, but also two match play rounds a day over two days to determine the championship. There is no need to worry about whether she was using a cart with wheels or not because she had her mother as a caddy.

[SoCalDukeFan]

It looks like the team loses only Celine to graduation. How likely is Virginia to go pro? Have they announced recruitments for next year? I didn't find anything online, and there are lots of countries not yet represented on the squad.

Btw, since Leona was ill, why didn't they sneak her twin sister onto the course since she's also on the team, and they look alike? Or are there rules about cheating in golf?

Celine Boutier and Yi Xiao both graduated.

Virginia is going to summer school at Duke so I doubt if she has any plans to turn pro soon. She seems to love everything about being a member of the Duke golf team. She did earn an invite to a LPGA tournament in July.

Once you submit your team roster at the cutoff time, then you can no longer substitute. Lisa was actually winning a tournament in Ireland about the same time as the National Championship.

Duke adds Ana Belac from Slovenia to the team for next year.

Duke should be very good again next year.

SoCal