Overview

The days are growing longer and advertisements for The Masters have hit the television airwaves again. It must be golf season.

Duke has many familiar faces in its lineup. Senior Luke Sample, who capped off the PGA Tour University top 25 in January, led the Blue Devils last season in stroke average and birdies. He also finished second in Duke’s final fall tournament at The Clerico in Tulsa, Okla.

Duke is bolstered by junior Ethan Evans and senior Kelly Chinn, who both recorded strong showings in the fall slate. Evans won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate by one stroke over Virginia’s Josh Duangmanee. A 7-under-216 by Chinn and a strong 6-under-216 by sophomore Bryan Kim secured the Blue Devils a win — their only in the fall slate. 

Introduced in Duke’s freshman class are a pair of Scottish twins in Sam and Ollie Mukherjee and New York native John Hiller. Hiller led the freshmen in scoring at the Rod Myers invitational in the fall, while at the Southwestern Invitational, it was Ollie Mukherjee. The latter was the youngest ever Scottish Amateur Champion, so expect a lot as he develops through the next couple of years.

The Blue Devils’ veteran contingent has visited many kinds of courses: links, sand belts and even stadium courses. That will come in handy as they visit a wide variety of courses to battle college golf’s best talents, as will the three freshmen, all of whom piled up accolades before arriving in Durham and are sure to bring a spark to the lineup. Still, with golf, it’s always an internal battle.

Head coach Jamie Green has a lot of talent on his roster, so selecting the five to represent Duke at any given tournament will be no easy task. Duke men’s golf enters the 2025 season with hopes of earning an NCAA tournament bid and going deep when the season concludes in Carlsbad, Calif. -Jerry Barajas

New player to watch: John Hiller

If there were a perfect example of consistency, Sample is not far from it. He has once again been the team’s top performer in the early part of the 2024-2025 season. Despite a couple of uncharacteristic performances at the start, Sample has surged throughout the year. His most notable performance came at the Clerico tournament earlier this season, where he posted an even-par score through three days, for second overall. This performance helped the Blue Devils finish third in a star-studded field. -Parker Miles

Most Anticipated Event: Valspar Intercollegiate Invitational Mar 24-25

Duke will return to Palm City, Fla., in late March to compete amongst college golf’s greatest talents. Duke as a team finished sixth place after posting a 1-over-853 in last year’s tournament. Golf powerhouses such as Pepperdine, Auburn and North Carolina are just a few high-end golf programs competing in the event. It will also feature PGA Tour University’s No. 1 pre-season player, North Carolina’s David Ford, among others on the list. 

Sample will be going to the Valspar Intercollegiate for the third time. The senior posted a final round 3-under to finish the tournament 1-under 212, good for 15th place. With the roster being sent to Florida likely a repeat of last year’s, it will be interesting how Sample and the Blue Devils attack a course they have previously seen moderate success with. It will also be a good measure for the team as a whole before the ACC Tournament. -Barajas

Best-case scenario

The Blue Devils capitalize on a strong regular season with solid performances from both individuals and the team in the ACC Tournament. Their momentum carries over to the NCAA tournament where Duke marches all the way to the finals in Carlsbad, Calif.

Worst-case scenario

Despite possessing all the talent, the season falls apart for the Blue Devils when the pressure is on, and their showing in the regular season does not earn them a spot in tournament play. –Ben Curtis