Women’s golf takes home win

Led by sophomore Maia Schechter’s sixth-place finish, the North Carolina women’s golf team took first place in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational this weekend at Finley Golf Course.

Schechter shot a one-over-par 217 and paced the Tar Heels to the tournament win with a final score of 872, eight-over-par.

“The course is in really good condition, and I just stayed patient and hit good golf shots all week,” Schechter said. “It was fun.”

The past two weeks have been nothing but success for the Tar Heels. They won last weekend’s Liz Murphey Fall Preview at the University of Georgia Golf Course, the same site as the 2013 NCAA championship.

The Tar Heels were named Team of the Week by GolfWeek on Oct. 9 before topping a field of 17 other teams at Finley Golf Course this weekend.

“To win at home is always a challenge,” coach Jan Mann said. “For whatever reason, you tend to put more pressure on yourself, so for them to come away with a win … I was very, very happy for them.”

The team put together an impressive all-around effort en route to its victory.

None of the five players affiliated with the UNC team shot above a 76 on any of the three days. That effort boosted the Tar Heels to a 13-stroke margin of victory.

Baylor University and the University of Mississippi finished tied for second with a score of 885, 21-over-par.

Juniors Casey Grice and Jackie Chang were a consistent presence for the Tar Heels and finished right behind Schechter.

Grice tied for seventh overall with a two-over-par 218, while Chang tied for ninth with a score of 219.

“It was definitely a solid three days,” Grice said. “There were a lot of birdies out there, so they made up for the couple bogeys I had. I putted really well the first day, which was exciting to see, and then I hit the ball pretty well overall.

“There wasn’t anything too good or too bad — it was just steady all three days.”

Grice, who led the Tar Heels to the win last week, said she was more than happy to see Schechter take over this weekend.

“It’s awesome to see that she led the team this weekend,” Grice said. “I know she’s been putting in a ton of hours on the golf course. She’s been working hard, and it’s been great to see it pay off for her.”

And Mann was equally impressed with Schechter’s performance and work ethic on the course.

“She has been a tremendous impact,” Mann said. “She is one of the most committed kids I’ve seen.

“She didn’t have the tournament experience that some of these other kids do, and so she has worked doubly hard to get where she is. The sky is the limit for Maia.”

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.