Led by juniors Catherine O’Donnell and Allie White, the No. 14 North Carolina women’s golf team took third place in the Bryan National Collegiate this weekend in Browns Summit.
O’Donnell and White both carded 7-over-par for the three-round event, putting them tied for fifth overall. The team finished behind only No. 17 Wake Forest and No. 16 Tennessee in the 17-team tournament.
The 54-hole tournament at Bryan Park’s Champions course was the third event for the women’s team this spring, and it proved to be their best showing.
Still, UNC coach Jan Mann thought her team could have finished higher.
“I think we had an opportunity to finish first — when we started the third round we were actually playing very solid golf.” Mann said. “We had some very difficult holes finishing up, but I also feel like we could have played those holes better than we did. We gave away quite a few shots at the end.”
White posted the best score by a Tar Heel all weekend with a 71 in the second round, and she, too, thought the Tar Heels left some shots on the course.
“I don’t think we turned in our best numbers overall, so of course I feel like we could have finished first.” White said. “This tournament all the scores were pretty high because it was freezing cold and it had rained a lot — so the course played really long.”
White said she drove the ball well this weekend but thinks that there are still some strokes to be saved by smoothing out her iron play.
Mann was proud of her team’s effort but had special praise for her low scorers. O’Donnell’s three-round battle in the cold temperatures was compounded by tendinitis in her thumb, and White is just settling in to competition after not playing in the fall.
