WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

W GOLF: Blumenherst Wins Tenth Career Tournament

Feb 28, 2008

TUCSON, ARIZ. - For the 10th time in three years at Duke, junior Amanda Blumenherst is an individual medalist as the two-time National Player of the Year carded a 54-hole total of 213 at the Wildcat Invitational to win by three strokes at the 6,238-yard, Par 71 Arizona National. As a team, the top-ranked Blue Devils finished in second place with a three-day total of 886.

"It feels great," said Blumenherst on the victory. "I as a little apprehensive and nervous coming into this tournament as I wasn't hitting the ball as well as I would have liked. We also hadn't played in a tournament since basically the end of October. I was pleased how I played as I hit the ball much better than I did back in Durham during practice. Getting back in the swing of things felt great and coming out with a win was an excellent way to start and excellent confidence builder."

Taking home the team title was Oklahoma State with a 54-hole total of 884. The Blue Devils finished tied for second with rounds of 288, 302 and 296 for a total of 886, which was two shots off the lead.

"We were two shots back and for this being our first tournament, it was a good finish," said Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks. "This tournament is always one that we try to prepare, get ready for the season and access where we are at. I am pretty happy with what I saw."

All the teams had to deal with 20-25 mph winds over the final two days of competition that saw the scores shoot up over the final 36 holes.

"It was so windy and really tough," said Blumenherst. "It was extremely important for me at least to keep remembering that everyone else was having to deal with these same conditions. It was easy to feel sorry for yourself or get overwhelmed with how windy it was. The ball was basically taken and thrown all over the place. I tried to stay strong, play my game and stay focused."

Blumenherst won the Wildcat Invitational for the second straight year with rounds of 68, 72 and 73 for a ledger of 213, which was three shots better than Belen Mozo (216) of Southern California. Her 10 wins is two shy of former Duke star Mary Anne Widman's career mark of 12 set from 1981-84.

"She just played real solid," said Brooks. "Actually, I think she got a little bit frustrated today because a some putts didn't fall in. I think today could have gone under par as she handled the wind very well and couldn't get the putts to fall in."

On Wednesday, Blumenherst began her day with two birdies over her first five holes and was one-under-par through No. 6. A Scottsdale, Ariz., product, Blumenherst then suffered a rare double-bogey on No. 7 followed by four bogeys over the next five holes to drop to five-over-par on the day. She saw her individual lead evaporate into a tie for first, but the two-time All-America played the final six holes at three-under-par to claim the victory. Blumenherst carded birdies on the 13th, 17th and 18th holes. She was one of only two players who registered a birdie on the 158-yard, par three on Wednesday.

"I started off strong and then the wind really picked up around hole five," said Blumenherst. "When I hit hole seven I think I was letting the wind get to me. It was really hard to putt as the ball was shaking and I lost focus. I had to basically concentrate, pay attention to playing and not let the conditions get the better of me."

Finishing off another solid tournament for the Blue Devils was junior Jennie Lee, who notched her 10th career top-10 finish as she was tied for eighth with a 221. Lee posted rounds of 74, 74 and 73 over the three days. A native of Henderson, Nev., Lee began her day on the second hold and played her first nine holes at two-under-par. She struggled on the back nine with three bogeys and one double-bogey, but closed out on the 356-yard, par four first hole with a birdie to post a 73.

"Jennie is really tough," said Brooks. "She has worked hard through the winter and didn't let the cold weather stop her from getting her work done. That is why she came out playing well."

Coming off her second-worst round of the 2007-08 campaign with a 79, sophomore Alison Whitaker fired a three-over-par, 74, on the final day to finish tied for 24th with a 224. She kicked off her day on the third hole and had a rocky beginning four straight bogeys. Whitaker, who is from Melbourne, Australia, shook off her start and played the next 14 holes at one-under-par. She registered birdies on the 11th, 16th and 2nd holes. After notching zero birdies on day one, Whitaker closed the weekend with seven birdies in 36 holes.

Senior Jennifer Pandolfi finished off the tournament with rounds of 72, 77 and 80 for a total of 229, which was tied for 34th, while freshman Kim Donovan was tied for 58th with a total of 237. Donovan notched her best round of the week on Wednesday as she totaled birdies on her first and last holes on her way to shooting a 76.

"Kim's round today was good," said Brooks. "The way she was talking she felt some things today that she has been trying to look for. This was a pretty important round for her and will help her in the preparation for the next tournament."

Playing as an individual, sophomore Yu Young Lee turned in rounds of 75, 83 and 84 for a total of 242, which was tied for 67th.
As a team, the Blue Devils registered 15 birdies on the final day of action. With Donovan posting a counting round on Wednesday, all five golfers notched at least one counting round on the week. Duke will next travel to the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Fla., from March 9-11.