UNC women's golf team has solid performance at Tar Heel Invitational

Sunday morning at 9:15, air horns signaled the shotgun start at North Carolina’s Finley Golf Course, and 18 of the nation’s top collegiate teams simultaneously fired shots off their tees.

During the final round of the Tar Heel Invitational, a three-day, 54-hole event, the UNC women’s golf team managed to shoot 288, putting them at 2-over-par for the weekend.

The team finished in fifth place — one spot lower than where it ended on Saturday. Still, the Tar Heels’ position in the final standings was a vast improvement after the team finished the first day of play in 12th place.

“The girls played well,” UNC coach Jan Mann said. “We did falter just a little bit at the end — (hole No.) 18 gave us some trouble. But I’m very pleased with their progress and how they finished the tournament.”

The four Tar Heels whose scores counted toward the total team tally shot a combined 8-over-par on the final hole.

Junior Catherine O’Donnell, who carded rounds under par on both Friday and Saturday and even par on Sunday, led UNC during the weekend. O’Donnell finished the tournament at 5-under-par.

“I finished (Saturday) at 4-under-par,” O’Donnell said. “It felt great.”

The University of Alabama decidedly took first place, finishing at 28-under-par and 12 strokes better than second-place finisher Louisiana State University. The Crimson Tide rolled in large part due to the performance of junior Brooke Pancake, who shot a course record-tying 65 on Friday.

But with 14 of the 18 teams competing ranked in the top 30 nationally, Mann said the contest for third through fourteenth place was wide open.

“Against the field, it was very, very tight scoring,” Mann said. “So to come back was very, very good.”

In the individual tournament, Pancake took first after a playoff shootout with LSU’s Megan McChrystal. After being tied at 11-under after three days of competition, McChrystal and Pancake played holes one and nine for the fourth time.

North Carolina placed one golfer, O’Donnell, in the top ten, followed by Courtney Gunter, a sophomore from Matthews N.C., who tied for 19th overall.

The Tar Heel Invitational is UNC’s only home tournament of the season. The players agree that playing at home is a comforting advantage because of the supportive fan base and their familiarity with the course.

But Mann believes the comfort comes at a cost.

“Playing at home is a double-edged sword,” she said. “We know the golf course, so that’s a positive.

“But also there are expectations. You have the fans and you really want to do well because it is your home course. Sometimes you put a little added pressure on yourself in that respect. So that was something we talked about — go out and play the golf course and not worry about where we are or where we finish.”

O’Donnell and Mann agree that working on the Tar Heels’ short game is imperative to their success.

“We’ve got to focus on our short game and really start making more putts and wedge shots,” O’Donnell said.

At each tournament, Mann said, she sees improvement in her team.

“The more they put themselves into winning and top positions, the more comfortable they’re going to be with it,” she said. “It’s all going well so far.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.