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Evans Ties for First as Duke Rallies for Match Play Berth at ACC Championship
4/25/2026 9:02:00 PM | Men's Golf
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Duke delivered a remarkable rally Saturday at the ACC Men's Golf Championship, charging from 12th place into a tie for eighth and ultimately winning a playoff to secure the final spot in match play at the par-72, 7,199-yard Shark's Tooth Golf Course at Watersound Club.
The Blue Devils fired a 4-under-par 284 in the final round, the lowest team score of the day, to finish tied with Wake Forest at 3-over-par 867. Duke then claimed three of five holes in the playoff to earn the No. 8 seed and advance to Sunday's quarterfinals against top-seed Stanford.
Senior Ethan Evans headlined the effort, finishing tied for first individually at 8-under-par 208. Evans' total is tied for the third-lowest 54-hole score in Duke ACC Championship history and marks the program's best individual finish at the event since 2005.
Duke's surge was powered by a sensational closing stretch, as Evans, William Love, Bryan Kim and Ollie Mukherjee combined to play the final nine holes at 9-under-par with 10 birdies and just one bogey. The quartet produced five birdies over the final three holes to complete the comeback and force the playoff.
Love continued his steady climb up the leaderboard, jumping from a tie for 51st after the opening round to finish tied for 15th at 2-under 214. The senior carded rounds of 68 and 70 over the final two days, moving up 36 positions.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Duke Results - T-8th - 296-287-284 = 867 (+3)
T1 – Ethan Evans – 73-66-69 = 208 (-8)
T15 – William Love – 76-68-70 = 214 (-2)
T51 – Bryan Kim – 73-78-72 = 223 (+7)
T51 – Ollie Mukherjee – 75-75-73 = 223 (+7)
73 – Daniel Choi – 75-80-82 = 237 (+21)
For more information on Duke men's golf, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching @DukeMGOLF.
#GoDuke
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The Blue Devils fired a 4-under-par 284 in the final round, the lowest team score of the day, to finish tied with Wake Forest at 3-over-par 867. Duke then claimed three of five holes in the playoff to earn the No. 8 seed and advance to Sunday's quarterfinals against top-seed Stanford.
Senior Ethan Evans headlined the effort, finishing tied for first individually at 8-under-par 208. Evans' total is tied for the third-lowest 54-hole score in Duke ACC Championship history and marks the program's best individual finish at the event since 2005.
Duke's surge was powered by a sensational closing stretch, as Evans, William Love, Bryan Kim and Ollie Mukherjee combined to play the final nine holes at 9-under-par with 10 birdies and just one bogey. The quartet produced five birdies over the final three holes to complete the comeback and force the playoff.
Love continued his steady climb up the leaderboard, jumping from a tie for 51st after the opening round to finish tied for 15th at 2-under 214. The senior carded rounds of 68 and 70 over the final two days, moving up 36 positions.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Duke entered Saturday's final round in 12th place before posting the low round of the day at 4-under 284.
- The Blue Devils climbed four spots into a tie for eighth at 3-over-par 867.
- Evans led the charge, finishing tied for first at 8-under 208.
- Love played the back nine at 4-under-par to post a final round 70 (-2).
- Kim (72) and Mukherjee (73) contributed key scores in the final round.
- Mukherjee shaved seven strokes off his tally at the turn, rolling in three birdies for a 33 on the closing nine holes.
- Duke's decisive push came on the back nine, where four counting scores combined for 9-under with 10 birdies and one bogey.
- Five birdies over the final three holes allowed Duke to catch Wake Forest and force a playoff.
- Duke won three of five playoff holes to secure the No. 8 seed and advance to match play.
- Duke's 284 (-4) marked its lowest round of the championship.
- Evans' 208 (-8) is tied for the third-best 54-hole ACC Championship score in program history and the best since Alex Smalley posted the same score in 2018.
- Evans' tie for first is Duke's top individual ACC Championship finish since Ryan Blaum won the title in 2005.
- Evans became just the seventh Blue Devil to shoot 6-under-par or better at the ACC Championship, as his second-round 66 was Duke's lowest at the event since 2019, when Chandler Eaton tallied an 8-under 64.
- Love improved 36 positions over the final two rounds (T51 to T15).
- Evans tied for second in par-3 scoring during the championship at 1-under-par, and tied for third with Love in par-4 scoring at 3-under.
- Mukherjee tied for fifth in par-5 scoring at 6-under-par.
- Mukherjee was the lone golfer in the tournament to register two eagles. The sophomore had just one eagle in 15 rounds this season prior to the ACC Championship.Â
- Duke led the tournament with three eagles (Mukherjee-2, Love) and was fourth with 51 birdies.
- Duke rallied from 12th place to earn the final match play spot.
- Duke faces top-seed Stanford in the match play quarterfinals on Sunday, April 26, at 7:30 a.m.
- The semifinals are scheduled for approximately 2 p.m., with the semifinals and Monday's championship match streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Duke Results - T-8th - 296-287-284 = 867 (+3)
T1 – Ethan Evans – 73-66-69 = 208 (-8)
T15 – William Love – 76-68-70 = 214 (-2)
T51 – Bryan Kim – 73-78-72 = 223 (+7)
T51 – Ollie Mukherjee – 75-75-73 = 223 (+7)
73 – Daniel Choi – 75-80-82 = 237 (+21)
For more information on Duke men's golf, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching @DukeMGOLF.
#GoDuke
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