The North Carolina women’s golf team placed eighth in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in the first tournament of the season.
What happened?
The Tar Heels had difficulty finding momentum in the first round of the tournament. Not a single member of the team scored under par on the first day, but sophomore Kelly Whaley and first-year Mariana Ocano led the team, scoring 72 (+1) and 74 (+3), respectively. The score of 296 in the first round (+12) was the worst round of the tournament for UNC.
The Tar Heels shifted momentum for Round 2, as junior Lexi Harkins shot a 69 (-2), tying with three other players for the third lowest score of the round. Whaley and first-year Brynn Walker both shot a 71 (E), enabling North Carolina shoot par for the round and tie for the second-best score of the round behind Kent State.
UNC shot 8-over par on Tuesday, which landed them in eighth place as the tournament closed. Whaley shot a 73 (+1) to finish the tournament in 10th place individually at 2-over par. This was Whaley's second top-10 finish of her career. Harkins and Walker were both 1-over par on the day as well.
Who stood out?
Whaley led the Tar Heels on par-4 holes by averaging a score of 1-under, and she recorded the most pars for Tar Heels (40) alongside Lexi Harkins. Brynn Walker recorded the Tar Heels’ lone eagle for the tournament, which occurred on the eleventh hole of the first round.
When was it decided?
The Tar Heels were not able to build off the momentum they obtained through the first two rounds, as the team struggled on par-5 holes throughout the final round. Whaley, Harkins and Walker were able to salvage scores of 72 (+1), but the trio finished in ties for 10th, 16th and 23rd, respectively. UNC came home from the tournament with a score of 872 (+20), 22 strokes behind overall winner Florida.
