The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

UNC women's golf can't continue success in LSU Tiger Classic, finishes 13th

In a season that has featured several highs and lows, the North Carolina women's golf team entered the LSU Tiger Classic hoping to capitalize on a season-best fifth-place finish in the Darius Rucker Invitational.

In order to replicate their success, the Tar Heels would have to overcome strong competition from Duke, Arkansas, N.C. State and 13 other schools.

But UNC struggled to keep up with its opponents, finishing 13th in the three-day tournament at The University Club in Baton Rouge, La. The team posted a 79-over-par score to finish 62 shots behind Duke, which won the tournament.

The Blue Devils dominated the entire tournament, as senior Celine Boutier won the individual title with an 8-under-par score to set the 54-hole record since the course was renovated in 2010.

Junior Leslie Cloots finished with a 17-over-par score, which placed her in an eight-way tie for 34th on the individual leaderboard.

Sophomore Lexi Harkins was also a part of the eight-way tie for 34th, and her 3-over-par score on the final day of the tournament marked the Tar Heels' best individual round score.

While UNC struggled, it excelled on par-5 holes and recorded several birdies.

Although the Tar Heels averaged a score of 7-over-par on par-5 holes, the score was good enough for fifth place in that category.

Senior Elizabeth Mallett tallied nine birdies for the Tar Heels during the tournament, while Cloots and Harkins scored another eight each to bring the total number of UNC birdies to 32 — which was good for third place in that category.

Quotable

“On the first day, it was very windy. My team is filled with high-ball strikers, and the wind played a factor in making them struggle. On the second day, we got off to a terrible start and dug ourselves into a hole. And on the third day, we shot the ball well, but the putts weren’t dropping.” — Coach Jan Mann on the team’s performance in the tournament.

Notable

With its first-place finish on Tuesday, Duke joined LSU as one of two teams to win on all three Baton Rouge layouts in the LSU Tiger Classic.

Three numbers that matter

25: The number of strokes Cloots was behind Boutier

1: Boutier was the only golfer who shot under par in the LSU Tiger Classic.

26: UNC shot 26-over-par on par-3 holes.

What’s next?

The North Carolina women’s golf team will head to Browns Summit, N.C., to participate in the Bryan National Collegiate from April 1-3.

@BrandonWhite95 

sports@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.