The Duke women’s golf team concluded its spring season at the NCAA Norman Regional held in Norman, Oklahoma, where they faced a challenging finale. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, their journey fell short, resulting in an 11th-place finish out of 12 teams, thus missing out on a spot in the NCAA Championship.
This year’s performance marks a disappointing moment for Duke, as it represents only the fourth time in over three decades that the team has not advanced to the national tournament. Their 11th-place result is the lowest the Blue Devils have achieved in an NCAA regional event since 1997.
“Effort was great, attitudes were great, we just never really got our momentum going,” said head coach Dan Brooks, expressing his frustration over the team’s inability to find their rhythm throughout the competition.
Among the 12 competing teams, only five earned the right to advance to Carlsbad, California, and after the first round, Duke found itself at the second-to-last position with a score of 15 over par (303). This left the team 12 strokes behind the cut line for the national championships.
In order to qualify for the championship, a significant turnaround was needed. Brooks noted that the lack of momentum seemed to compound negative results as the tournament progressed. Duke recorded scores of +12 and +11 in rounds two and three, respectively.
The results were reminiscent of the team’s performance at the ACC Tournament, where Duke had shown some signs of recovery during the final round in Greensboro, North Carolina, managing to climb from second-to-last to 10th place after an even-par performance.
Brooks reflected on the experience, saying, “We didn’t have a good tournament there, but we had some things that indicated the turnaround.” By the end of the second round in the regional, Duke found itself in last place after a 20-bogey outing. The team struggled through additional bogeys and could not find the birdies needed to improve their standing, finishing with a combined total of 20 bogeys and just six birdies in the final round.
“I just felt like we had some good things happen this spring … even late in the spring, with some shining moments here and there,” said Brooks. “I had a lot of belief that this tournament was going to be different from the conference tournament. There was similarity, more than difference.”
A bright spot during the tournament was junior Andie Smith, who finished tied for 17th with a score of 2-over par after rounds of 73, 72, and 73. Brooks mentioned that Smith should feel proud of her performance, as she was just five strokes away from qualifying for the national tournament as an individual.
Other performers included sophomore Katie Li, who finished tied for 45th with a score of 9-over, and senior Rylie Heflin, who placed 61st at 18-over. Freshmen Anna Cañado Espinal and Carla De Troia also tied for 59th, shooting 16-over.
The tournament’s scheduling was influenced by impending inclement weather; teams played 36 holes on Monday, but the Blue Devils did not complete their final round until Tuesday evening, ultimately finishing early Wednesday due to darkness.
Brooks expressed surprise at the results, noting that he and others had anticipated another national championship appearance for the Blue Devils. “My mind has been on [Omni] La Costa. I’ve been thinking about that golf course and what we will need to perform well … but that’s how I always think, frankly,” he stated.
Looking ahead, Brooks and associate head coach Jon Whithaus are already considering how to enhance the team’s preparation for the next season, although Brooks was cautious about suggesting specific changes to training techniques. “If there was something better than what we do, I would be doing it already,” he remarked.
The Blue Devils will shift their focus as they prepare for the 2025-2026 season, set to begin on September 7 in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
