BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. -- For the second tournament in a row, third-ranked Duke claimed both the team and individual titles at the Bryan National Collegiate on Sunday, which was being played at the 6,386-yard, par 72 Champions Course at Bryan Park Golf and Enrichment Center in Browns Summitt, N.C.
Sophomore Celine Boutier carded a 54-hole total of even-par 216 to win by one stroke over Clemson’s Ashlan Ramsey (217). The victory was her first collegiate tournament win as Boutier fired rounds of 72, 71 and 73 in the three days.
“It feels really great,” Boutier said. “I have been waiting to win a college tournament since I started at Duke. It is nice I finally won one. I have been hitting the ball well for the past four weeks. In this tournament, the weather was really tough so it really helped a lot that I was hitting it well because I couldn’t strike most of the greens. \It made my life easier.”
The golfers dealt with very cold temperatures as well as sleet as they opened Sunday’s final round. As a team, Duke featured three golfers in the top three of the leaderboard as the Blue Devils posted a three-day ledger of 882 to win by 21 strokes over South Carolina (903). Duke carded rounds of 292, 290 and 300 in the 54 holes and won its third tournament of the season.
In the team standings, Duke (882), South Carolina (903), Wake Forest (905), Florida State (906), Virginia (909), Clemson (913), Louisville (913), Ohio State (914), Florida (915), Michigan State (916) and Penn State (916) rounded out the top 10.
“I think it is really awesome because we won by 21 shots,” commented Boutier. “It is proving that we are playing well as a team. It isn’t just a couple of people that are playing well. It is the whole team. Especially to get the win in these tough conditions, I think it is awesome.”
The Bryan National Collegiate title is the second in the past three years and the eighth in school history (2012, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 1998). Boutier became the seventh Blue Devil to claim the Bryan National individual title -- Lindy Duncan (212), Brittany Lang (2005), Elizabeth Janangelo (2004), Virada Nirapathpongporn (2002) and Candy Hannemann (2001).
Boutier, who is out of Montrouge, France, carded 10 birdies in the three days, which tied for second overall. On Sunday, she opened with back-to-back bogeys before reeling off birdies on No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 to move to one-under-par. After bogeys on No. 8 and No. 9, Boutier closed the day with seven consecutive pars, a birdie and a bogey to finish with a final round of 73. She hit 13 fairways, 11 greens and had 30 putts on the day.
Freshman Yu Liu notched her sixth top 10 finish out of six tournaments as she collected rounds of 74, 72 and 74 for a total of 220, which was tied third. Liu, a native of Beijing, China, was a tournament-best six-under-par on the par fives in the 54 holes. This included her first collegiate eagle on the 458-yard, par five 15th hole Sunday. She hit 13 greens, 10 fairways and had 32 putts on the day.
With rounds of 70, 74 and 76, senior Laetitia Beck placed tied third with a 54-hole total of 220. A native of Caesarea, Israel, Beck was even par through 10 holes on the day, but suffered two bogeys and a double-bogey in her final eight holes to finish with a 76. It marks her third top-five finish of the season and fifth top-20 placement, after hitting nine greens, nine fairways and rolling in 31 putts.
Freshman Sandy Choi placed tied 21st with rounds of 76, 75 and 77 for a 228 ledger, while senior Alejandra Cangrejo was tied 23rd. Playing as an individual, junior Irene Jung finished tied 83rd overall.
With the victory on Sunday, Duke has now won three tournaments for the second consecutive season.
