Blue Devils Continue Dominance at Finley

Staff Writer

Duke seems to feel at home in Chapel Hill.

The Blue Devils women's golf team won its fifth consecutive Franklin Street Trust Tar Heel Invitational with a 17-stroke victory on Sunday at Finley Golf Course.

"We keep thinking we're going to wear out our welcome here," Duke coach Dan Brooks said, smiling, as his team accepted the championship trophy.

North Carolina edged Vanderbilt by two strokes and finished second in the only tournament the team will play in Chapel Hill this season.

The Blue Devils were the only squad to play a round under 300; as a team, Duke shot a 293 on Friday and a 296 on Sunday.

"We've got a good team," Brooks said. "We go into our tournaments looking for wins.

"We've played (Finley) many times ... so this is about as close a home course as you can get."

A Duke golfer also captured the individual championship. Kristina Engstrom shot a 219 for the three-day tournament. That score was good for a three-shot win over Nicki Cutler of Vanderbilt.

Abby Spector was the top finisher for UNC, shooting a 225 for the tournament and finishing in fifth place. Her team-low 74 on Sunday might have been the deciding factor in UNC holding off Vanderbilt.

"Abby played really well today," Shelley McKevitt said. McKevitt, a senior, finished tied for ninth. "She putted great and got up and down. She had a great tournament."

Spector said putting was her strength during the tournament, although it didn't necessarily allow her to move ahead of the competition. Instead, it allowed her to hold her ground while other players made mistakes and dropped below her.

"Mostly my putting was saving me," Spector said.

Late in her match on Sunday, Spector sank a 25-foot putt to save par on the 17th hole.

Spector said the team putted well because they had the home-course advantage and know Finley's fast greens better than the other teams.

"This year we were determined to have (a home-course) advantage and use it," Spector said.

Ashley Prange and Beth Lever also had strong showings for UNC; Prange finished tied for sixth and had eight birdies throughout the tournament, while Lever finished tied for 23rd.

"It was a total team effort today," UNC coach Sally Austin said.

UNC's second-place finish was an improvement over last season's 12th-place finish in the Tar Heel Invitational.

"This is where we should be," Spector said.

"This is how we should be playing with the talent we have. Last year we did not play up to our potential at all, and now we're starting to."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.