UNC women's golf lands in ninth at The Landfall Tradition

The North Carolina women’s golf team tied for ninth place out of 18 teams over the weekend with a 42 over par at The Landfall Tradition in Wilmington.

What happened?

Round One: In round one, UNC tied for 10th place overall. The round was suspended due to after 15 holes on Friday where the Tar Heels were tied for 8th. It resumed Saturday at 10 a.m. 

Senior Kelly Whaley scored a 2-over 74 in Round One. Junior Brynn Walker scored an 81, while first-year Jennifer Zhou and junior Mariana Ocano scored a 76 and 78, respectively. First-year Nicole Lu scored a 79. As an individual, Sophomore Ava Bergner scored an 81. The Tar Heels finished round one at 19-over.

Round Two: After a shotgun start, Whaley finished with another 2-over 74. Walker had an impressive 4-under 68, including seven birdies, while Zhou and Ocano both scored 78. Lu scored an 82 for the Tar Heels. Bergner scored a 74, improving from her former 82. Whaley finished the round as the top placer for the team. The Tar Heels tied for 10th out of 18 at 29-over. 

Round Three: The third round began bright and early on Sunday morning, when the sun finally appeared amidst the chilly weather. Whaley shot a successful 72, her best out of the three rounds. Walker and Ocano both shot a 76, while Zhou and Lu scored a 77 and 80, respectively. 

Whaley earned 10th place with a 220 overall. Walker finished tied for 24th with a 225, Zhou tied for 53rd with a 231, Ocano tied for 58th with a 232 and Lu finished tied for 86th with a 241.

Individual Ava Bergner tied for 73rd after shooting a 71 for the round and earning a total of 226.

The Tar Heels were tied for seventh with three holes to play, and ended up tying for ninth when the round closed.

Who stood out?

The older talent shined this weekend. Whaley, who has started for North Carolina in every tournament in her career, demonstrated her leadership ability by placing first out of her team members, shooting 4-over. She also shot her career best 4-under 68 in the second round. She finished 10th place and improved from last week where she tied for 18th place, but still finished 2-over for the tournament.

Walker also had a successful weekend, finishing tied for 24th overall at 9-over out of 96 golfers. She bounced back from her first round where she scored an 81 to get a 76 in round two with seven birdies, plus birdies in her second and third holes of the last round. 

Why does it matter?

The Landfall Tradition concluded the fall season for the Tar Heels, and the break will give them time to unwind, assess their performance and correct their mistakes before picking back up in the winter. 

The Tar Heels finish the fall earning ninth of 19 in their first tournament, seventh of 15th in their second, 7th of 18th in their third and 9th of 18th in their last- never finishing in the bottom half. 

When do they play next?

UNC will finally get back on the green in a few months on Feb. 17 for the Allstate Sugarbowl Intercollegiate in New Orleans.

@kellie_nattress

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