Duke received match play victories from freshman Phoebe Brinker, senior Jaravee Boonchant, junior Gina Kim, freshman Anne Chen and sophomore Erica Shepherd to claim the sixth ACC title over the last nine years and its fourth at Sedgefield. It marks Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks' 21st ACC Championship over his 37 years at Duke.
"It feels great," said Brooks. "It feels a little bit like we won twice because the stroke play and then match play. It is really cool. I love Sedgefield and I love the way they run this event. It was a little bit of an experiment throwing match play in. All of us coaches got together and decided to do this. I know we won and I am bound to feel great about that, but I think it's a really great addition. It feels a little bit like nationals and that is what we hope the conference does is sort of prepare you for further postseason. A great event."
Going off first for the Blue Devils for the second straight day, Brinker set to tone early by sticking her 54-degree wedge from 88 yards to a foot and a half for a gimmie birdie and a 1UP lead against Amelia Williamson. Brinker, a native of Wilmington, Del., stuck her approach on the par-3 seventh to five feet and went ahead 3UP. She turned it on when she got to the back nine as she hit her 7-iron from 154 yards on the par-5 10th and two-putted for birdie. Brinker stuck her 78-degree wedge to four feet for birdie on No. 11 and then rolled in her third straight birdie on No. 12 to go ahead 6UP. She closed the match on No. 14 with a birdie as well to win 5&4. Brinker hit all 14 greens on the day.
After dropping the first hole to Taylor Roberts, Boonchant came back to even the match with a par on No. 2. Boonchant, who hails from Bangkok, Thailand, won holes No. 3 and No. 4, before taking a 3UP lead through nine. The senior won No. 10 as she used her 58-degree wedge to chip from 12 yards off the green to three feet for birdie. Boonchant closed her match on No. 13 with a par for the 6&5 victory.
"It was really nice to be able to come back and win the ACC Championship as a team," said Boonchant. "It was very fun watching the girls play, see how hard they tried and to have the hard work pay off. We are very excited to go to NCAAs and perform the way we did here."
Match No. 3 featured Kim, the 2021 ACC Individual Champion from Duke, and Beatrice Wallin, who entered the tournament ranked No. 6 nationally. After falling behind on No. 2 with a bogey, Kim came back to even the match with a par on the par-3 third hole. She would not trail the rest of the match against Wallin. Kim, a product of Chapel Hill, N.C., took her first lead with a par on No. 4 and birdied No. 5 to go 2UP. She led 3UP through No. 12, but Wallin would go on to win the next two holes to cut Kim's lead to 1UP with four holes remaining.
"The individual win was really nice because I could see how much I have grown personally," said Kim. "But to be able to contribute to an amazing team, a family of mine and just to get the win out here is really special and to me the most important thing out here," said Kim. "I am really grateful to be in this position."
Kim, who clinched Duke's victory Saturday against Virginia on No. 16, stuck her approach on the par-5 15th on the green and two-putted for birdie to win the hole and go 2UP. For the second straight day, Kim she was the deciding win as she parred No. 16, while Wallin three-putted for bogey. Kim posted a 3&2 win to seal the title for the Blue Devils.
With the match already clinched for the Blue Devils, Chen and Shepherd needed to finish their contests.
Chen, a rookie from Sugar Land, Texas, led early in her match, 1UP, through four holes, but dropped No. 5 and No. 6 to fall behind against Charlotte Heath. Through 13 holes, Heath held a 4UP lead, but Chen did not quit. Chen two-putted for birdie on No. 15 to win the hole and then made par on her final three holes, while Heath bogied to make the dramatic comeback to win 1UP. In her first ACC Championship, Chen was impressive going 2-0 in match play and finishing fourth individually.
The final match featured Shepherd against Alice Hodge of Florida State. Shepherd held a 3UP lead through eight holes, but Hodge went birdie, eagle and birdie over the next three holes to tie the match. A native of Greenwood, Ind., Shepherd stepped up on the par-3 12th and hit her 6-iron from 170 yards and rolled in a 10-foot birdie to go back ahead, 1UP. Hodge then holed out from the fairway for the second time today to win No. 15 to tie the match.
Shepherd then made par on No. 17 to win the hole and once again go ahead, 1UP. She was close for birdie on No. 18 that was eventually conceded to win, 2UP.
"The ACC, I feel like has some of the best competition out there," said Kim. "Our coach told us in the morning that Florida State wasn't going to give up and they were not going to give it to us so we have to take it. I took that message to heart, because I knew it is really tough and you have to just grind it out and come out on top at the end. I am really glad we were able to finish it out at the end and become champions."
Duke will next await the NCAA selection show April 28, which will air live on Golf Channel.
No. 1 Duke 5, No. 3 Florida State 0
Phoebe Brinker (DUKE) def. Amelia Williamson (FSU), 5&4
Jaravee Boonchant (DUKE) def. Taylor Roberts (FSU), 6&5
Gina Kim (DUKE) def. Beatrice Wallin (FSU), 3&2
Anne Chen (DUKE) def. Charlotte Heath (FSU), 1 Up
Erica Shepherd (DUKE) def. Alice Hodge (FSU), 2 Up
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April 19, 2021 at 09:37AM
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Blue Devils Claim 22nd ACC Championship with 5-0 Win over Florida State - Duke University - GoDuke.com
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