Pics: Duke's Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel & Neal Begovich take new strides with off-day bombs on golf course

After a comfortable season-opening win, Duke's blue-chip freshmen duo of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, along with senior forward Neal Begovich, took advantage of their day off as they went for a round of golf. They played at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, an 18-hole course inside the campus.

The Blue Devils' social media account shared several photos of the trio enjoying the greens, with each displaying their forms.

"Off-day bombs + birdies w/ Coop, Neal & K2," @dukembb captioned.

They all wore Duke's shirts and paired them with shorts as they took turns hitting their drives.

One photo of Flagg shows him sitting in a golf cart, while Neal Begovich is captured in the middle of a powerful swing in another snap.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Kneuppel shine as Duke win its first game

​

Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer started three freshmen in their first game of the season against Maine on Monday and they did not disappoint.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach all delivered solid performances to lead the Blue Devils to a comfortable 96-62 victory.

Flagg recorded 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Scheyer was pleased with the way his young team played. He praised Flagg's contributions during the postgame press conference.

"I’m proud of him for just impacting the game and playing every possession," Scheyer said. "He’s giving it everything he had.

"I think that’s great that he can admit and say that he was emotional. I think that’s natural — anybody is for their first game, let alone the fact he’s playing Maine where he’s from. His mom went there, but again I thought he did — he led us in assists [and] rebounds."

Flagg was not the only freshman who stood out. Kneuppel scored 22 points, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc, along with four rebounds.

Even though Kneuppel had a strong debut, Scheyer said he knew he wasn't happy about his performance.

"Even tonight, I guarantee you Kon is pissed at himself because there’s something that he could have done better," Scheyer said. "It’s just how he’s wired.

"The rare thing for both (Flagg and Kneuppel) of those guys, I don’t know if they see much. They have great humility and they play for the right reasons. It’s not for the attention. It’s because they love it."

Duke will host the Army Black Knights on Friday before traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to face Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday.

​