Upcoming Event: Women's Golf versus Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational on October 17, 2025
Women's Golf
vs Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational
Monday, September 29
Golf, Ill.
Duke University
vs
Windy City Collegiate Classic
Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Co-Champions! Blue Devils Shoot 13-Under to Claim Title in Windy City
9/30/2025 7:30:00 PM | Women's Golf
GOLF, Ill. – The preseason six-ranked Duke women's golf team fired a team-best 7-under-par, 281, Tuesday to come-from-behind to finish as co-champions of the Windy City Collegiate Classic, which was contested at the 6,368-yard, par-72 Glen View Club in Golf.
The Blue Devils along with host Northwestern finished the 54-hole event with a 13-under-par, 851, to finish as co-champions. Duke fired three rounds in the red (283, 287, 281) to post its first win of the season and 145th of Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks impressive career. The victory came on Brooks birthday as well.
It marked the first team title at the Windy City Collegiate Classic in nine appearances for the Blue Devils. Brooks has guided Duke to at least one victory in 40 of his 42 seasons in Durham.
As a team, Duke featured three golfers in the top six individually -- Anna Cañado Espinal (T4, -5), Andie Smith (T6, -4) and Katie Li (T6, -4), while freshman Avery McCrery carded her first collegiate top-20 finish (T18, E).
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND THREE
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND ONE
NOTES
QUOTES
WHAT IS NEXT
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
#GoDuke
Duke Results
Anna Cañado Espinal 68-73-70=211 (T4, -5)
Andie Smith 73-70-69=212 (T6, -4)
Katie Li 71-70-71=212 (T6, -4)
Avery McCrery 71-74-71=216 (T18, E)
Carla De Troia 77-80-75=232 (T59, +16)
Team 283-287-281=851 (T1, -13)
The Blue Devils along with host Northwestern finished the 54-hole event with a 13-under-par, 851, to finish as co-champions. Duke fired three rounds in the red (283, 287, 281) to post its first win of the season and 145th of Blue Devil head coach Dan Brooks impressive career. The victory came on Brooks birthday as well.
It marked the first team title at the Windy City Collegiate Classic in nine appearances for the Blue Devils. Brooks has guided Duke to at least one victory in 40 of his 42 seasons in Durham.
As a team, Duke featured three golfers in the top six individually -- Anna Cañado Espinal (T4, -5), Andie Smith (T6, -4) and Katie Li (T6, -4), while freshman Avery McCrery carded her first collegiate top-20 finish (T18, E).
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND THREE
- On the front nine Tuesday morning, the Blue Devils were 7-under early and moved to 14-under as a team to take the overall lead.Duke fell behind Northwestern eventually on the back nine, but the Wildcats dropped two shots on the way in to finish in a tie with the Blue Devils at 13-under.
- Katie Li continued her stellar play Tuesday as she totaled her third consecutive under par round for the tournament with a 1-under, 71. She was on fire on the front nine as she rolled in a 12-footer for birdie on No. 3 and then hit her 5-iron from 194 yards to seven feet for her sixth career eagle on the 503-yard, par-5 sixth hole. Li, who hails from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, moved to 6-under for the day and a share of the individual lead at the time with the eagle. She suffered three bogeys on the back nine and closed by hitting her 50-degree wedge from 109 yards to three feet for birdie on No. 17.
- Anna Cañado Espinal finished strong with a 2-under, 70, in the final round. She opened with birdies on No. 1 and No. 3, but then dropped three shots on holes nine and 10. Cañado Espinal turned it around and registered birdies on 11 and 12, while adding five pars and a birdie on No. 18 to finish the day. She rolled 27 putts in the final round as she posted her third career top-10 finish.
- With her second under-par round in a row, Andie Smith turned in a 3-under-par, 69, to close the event.After a bogey on No. 2, Smith parred three holes in a row and then 2-putted for birdie on the par-5 sixth.Smith, a native of Hobe Sound, Florida, rolled in an 8-footer for birdie on No. 9 to make the turn at 1-under, 35.She bogeyed No. 10, but closed the day with a 3-under ledger over the final seven holes.Smith collected back-to-back birdies on No. 12 and No. 13, then hit her 5-wood from 237 yards to greenside and putted it to two feet for birdie on No. 15.She parred the final three holes to finish with a 69, while rolling a season-low 28 putts.
- Rookie Avery McCrery had a solid start to her day as she rolled in a 35-footer for birdie on the first hole.After a bogey on No. 3, she parred three holes and then hit her 8-iron from 142 yards on No. 7 to eight feet for birdie.McCrery, who is from Wilmington, Delaware, struck her 3-wood from 229 yards on the par-5 eighth green and 2-putted for birdie from 45 feet as she finished with a 1-under, 71.
- Sophomore Carla De Troia was 1-over through 12 holes Tuesday, before suffering back-to-back bogeys on No. 13 and No. 14 as she signed for a 75.
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND TWO
- Duke opened both the first and second rounds on hole No. 10.
- Through 36 holes, Duke was seven shots off the lead with a 570, behind Northwestern (563), SMU (565) and Michigan State (569).
- Junior Katie Li carded her second under par round in a row as she signed for a 2-under, 70, with four birdies.After early bogeys on No. 10 and No. 13, Li was solid the rest of the day shooting 4-under over her final 14 holes.She collected her first birdie on No. 16 and then rolled in a 45-footer for birdie on No. 3.Li added back-to-back birdies on No. 5 and No. 6 as she went on to collect a 70.
- Andie Smith parred the first hole and then bogeyed No. 11, before playing the next nine holes at 2-under. She drained a 15-footer for birdie on No. 12 and then hit her 60-degree wedge from 80 yards to eight feet for birdie on No. 16. Smith suffered a bogey on No. 3, but registered a 10-foot birdie on the fifth and got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 eighth hole to finish with a 2-under, 70.
- Anna Cañado Espinal was 1-under through 10 holes, but had a couple of bogeys on No. 2 and No. 3. She added a third birdie of the afternoon on No. 6 to return to even par, but had a bogey on No. 9 to finish with a 1-over, 73.
- Avery McCrery was limited to one birdie for the second round in a row and carded a 74, while Carla De Troia had an 80.
- The Blue Devils featured three golfers in the top 16 through 36 holes – Li (T8), Cañado Espinal (T8) and Smith (T16).
HOW IT HAPPENED – ROUND ONE
- Boosted by 10 birdies over the final five holes, the Blue Devils turned in a 5-under, 283, and were tied for third overall after 18 holes.
- Sophomore Anna Cañado Espinal had an impressive season debut as she carded a 4-under-par, 68 with a career-best six birdies.After opening at 1-over through five holes, Cañado Espinal registered three birdies in a row on holes No. 15-17.She made the turn at 2-under, 34, and moved to 4-under with a birdie on the 164-yard, par-3 second hole.After a bogey on No. 3, she closed strong with birdies on No. 6 and No. 7 to finish with a 4-under ledger, which was tied for the individual lead.
- Both Katie Li and Avery McCrery signed for a 1-under-par, 71.The 71 was a career-low for McCrery as she hit 15 greens, had two birdies and 15 pars.
- Li bogeyed the first hole and then came back to play the next nine holes at 2-under with birdies on No. 12 and No. 13.She had a key par save on No. 15, after hitting in the trees off the tee and hitting a 5-wood from 230 yards to the greenside.Li got up-and-down for par.After suffering three birdies on holes 2-5, Li finished strong with birdies on No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 to finish with a 1-under, 71.
- McCrery was solid all day with 15 pars, two birdies on No. 5 and No. 16 and one bogey on No. 15 to finish with a 71.
- Graduate student Andie Smith was 3-over through 15 holes, but got hot at the end as she hit her pitching wedge from 138 yards to five feet for birdie on No. 7 and then 2-putted for birdie on the 475-yard, par-5 eighth hole as she finished with a 1-over, 73.
- Sophomore Carla De Troia registered three birdies in the morning, but finished with a 77.
NOTES
- Avery McCrery has collected even or under par rounds in three out of her last four outings. McCrery led the field with 42 pars.
- Duke led the field with a 1-under-par score on par-3 holes.
- As a team, the Blue Devils registered 47 birdies over the 54 holes.
- Anna Cañado Espinal posted 14 birdies to rank tied for fourth among the field.
- UCLA's Jeonghyun Lee won the individual title with an 8-under, 208.
- Katie Li totaled her fifth career top-10 finish, while Andie Smith notched her sixth.
QUOTES
- "First off, our performance in Chicago was helped greatly by having bent grass greens in our varsity practice area. Brendan McNulty (Superintendent of Duke University Golf Club) and Ritchie Fesperman (Foreman of Varsity Golf) have worked tirelessly to prep our new greens through a hot summer and extreme late-summer heat. Their diligence gained us a couple solid
- "I'm proud of this team. At the ANNIKA, there were many signs that we have the golf games to win. But it seemed that we denied ourselves any chance to win by making poor choices, mostly the first day. This week we were under par every round. Our smart golf was the norm all three rounds. And, we hit good shots more consistently all three rounds. They did a wonderful job." – Duke Head Coach Dan Brooks
- "Super proud of the team this week, Coach [Dan Brooks] gave us a great pep talk after the 36-hole day and it pumped us up enough to get it done today. And it was an added bonus that it was his birthday today. Our comeback only showed how much potential this team has, so I am super excited for what's to come."Duke junior Katie Li
WHAT IS NEXT
- Duke will next compete in the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational Oct. 17-19 at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWGOLF".
#GoDuke
Duke Results
Anna Cañado Espinal 68-73-70=211 (T4, -5)
Andie Smith 73-70-69=212 (T6, -4)
Katie Li 71-70-71=212 (T6, -4)
Avery McCrery 71-74-71=216 (T18, E)
Carla De Troia 77-80-75=232 (T59, +16)
Team 283-287-281=851 (T1, -13)
Players Mentioned
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