Duke runs away from the field at White Sands Bahamas Invitational
Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics
The Duke Blue Devils coasted to an easy win in school record fashion Sunday at the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men’s Invitational at the Ocean Club Golf Course.
The Blue Devils seized control of the tournament on Saturday when it fired a second-round score of 17-under 271 to open a 12-shot lead over Southern Mississippi heading into the final round. Duke kept its foot on the gas pedal on Sunday by carding a 12-under 276 to finish the tournament at 41-under 823, 20-strokes clear of second-place Stetson.
Duke's Jimmy Zheng and Kelly Chinn each had 68s in the final round, while William Love added a 1-under 71 in the five-count-four format over the 7,159-yard layout designed by major champion Tom Weiskopf. Zheng was 10-under for his last two rounds, including tying for the low round of the tournament with a 66 on Saturday.
“I’m proud of us taking home the team trophy this week. It couldn’t be any better,” said Zheng, who went eagle-birdie to finish his third round. “The difference for me was just being more confident. I knew my game was there and I had it in me to play better than my 73 the first day.”
Southern Miss sophomore Ryan Dupuy defeated Duke's Luke Sample in a playoff to win individual medalist honors after both golfers tied at 12-under 204. It was the second consecutive win for the Baton Rouge, La. native after he captured the Little Rock Invitational in his last outing.
“I’m really happy that we got a record win,” added Sample, whose team is ranked No. 34 nationally. “We worked really hard this fall, and this was a special week for us. We want to be the best team in the country, and I think we have the potential to get there. We have shown flashes of what we can do.”
Duke's second win of the season came in record-setting fashion, as its winning total set a new program record for a 54-hole event.
“You will remember a trip to the Bahamas as something very special, and when you play well it makes the water slide more fun too,” said Duke head coach Jamie Green. “Everyone had this event circled since the season started. And this team played their hearts out.”
ABOUT THE White Sands Intercollegiate
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by
Santa Clara
University. Team (best
four
scores out of
five players each round) and individual
competitions.
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