UNC women's golf finishes in 14th place in Wilmington

North Carolina women’s golf coach Jan Mann’s return to Wilmington was not a happy one.

The Tar Heels concluded their fall campaign by finishing in 14th place in a field of 18 teams at the Landfall Tradition Tournament in Wilmington, which began on Friday and concluded Sunday. They shot a combined 25-over par the three days.

Wake Forest won the tournament with a score of even par.

Mann, who coached UNC-Wilmington’s women’s golf team for eight years, saw her team fall in the standings each day of the tournament.

“It was not the finish that we wanted,” she said, citing a lack of consistency as the primary source for the team’s struggles.

The Tar Heels finished Friday’s round of play in eighth place before dropping to 12th on Saturday.

Despite the uninspiring performance down the stretch, Mann was pleased with how the freshmen and sophomores played.

“They play with a lot of grit and I like seeing that,” she said.

Sophomore Leslie Cloots was the only Tar Heel under par on the tournament’s first day, at one-under par. Cloots and freshman Bryana Nguyen both led UNC with a cumulative score of one-over par on Saturday. Nguyen topped the team at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, with a three-day score of two-over par.

Nguyen’s score was enough to finish 16th overall in the tournament. The result was her third straight finish in the top 25. Cloots was the only other Tar Heel to crack the top 25, finishing 24th with a score of four-over par. Freshman Lexi Harkins came in third for the Tar Heels, and 53rd overall, with a score of eight-over par.

Sophomore Ashley Holder of the University of Central Florida finished seven-under to win the individual competition.

“(The underclassmen) may have a bad hole but they bounce back,” Mann said. “They don’t lose confidence and they continue to play hard.”

She also credited the underclassmen with having consistency, which seemed to be lacking at times during the tournament, especially from the fourth and fifth spots. She said she believes the Tar Heels are one reliable player from being a good team.

UNC may not been a good team at the 2014 Landfall Tradition Tournament, but Mann praised the talent of the other teams in the tournament. She said that playing such strong competition will prepare the team for the difficulty of the spring season.

“We compete against that caliber of talent every time the girls tee up,” she said. “I try to make the schedule as tough as it can be.”

The problems on the course did not shade Mann’s appreciation for the course and facilities of her old stomping grounds.

“It’s always good to go back,” she said. “(The country club) is very supportive of women’s golf and that’s nice to see.”

Mann has many fond memories of Wilmington, but the 2014 Landfall Tradition Tournament was not one of them. She acknowledged that a lot of work was necessary before the spring season kicks off in February. 

“We’re looking forward to working hard over the winter and being ready for the spring.”