After watching her team stumble through the first few holes in the second round of the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational Saturday morning, North Carolina women’s golf coach Jan Mann was not too pleased.
“We started out poorly today,” Mann said. “We were not playing well.”
After the first six holes at UNC’s Finely Golf Course, the Tar Heels were tied for 15th place and hadn’t even reached the back nine, which features some of the hardest holes on the course.
But someone forgot to tell that to Samantha Marks.
The sophomore caught fire as rain began to fall, birdieing both the 15th and the 18th hole.
“She was able to stay focused,” Mann said. “She did a great job of staying in her process and letting the birdies come to her.”
The birdies were contagious as senior Jackie Chang turned in a pair of her own, rolling in impressive putts on the 17th and 18th holes.
Marks’ steady play also spread to senior Katherine Perry. The Cary native began to settle down after a shaky start, rolling off six consecutive pars before bogeying the par four, seventh hole.
For Mann, though her team responded well, the main problem was the lackluster start.
“A couple of them didn’t start out well and were trying to catch up,” she said, “but they settled down eventually and played much better.”
Of UNC’s starting five, the aforementioned Marks had the round of the day, finishing with a one-under-par 71.
Junior Maia Schechter carded a one-over-par 73, with Perry and Chang both coming in at two-over-par for the day. Sophomore Elizabeth Mallett rounded out the scoring players for the Tar Heels, finishing with a four-over-par 76 while freshman Leslie Cloots, playing individually, shot a five-over-par 77.
After heading into the day tied for ninth place, UNC remains in the same spot on the leader board, tied for ninth with Wake Forest, after shooting a combined four-over-par 292 in Saturday’s round.
The entire field will be chasing Duke in the third round. The Blue Devils boast a 12-stroke lead after finishing Saturday with a six-under-par 282.
For Mann and the Tar Heels, hosting the tournament at their home course has been a treat. Even in the dreary weather, spirits were high as many friends, family members, and even animals supporting all the schools roamed the grounds.
“Teams love to come here,” Coach Mann said. “Everyone is so friendly and nice to (the teams) once they get there, and that can be attributed to our tournament staff and volunteers.”
The Tar Heels will conclude play in the third and final round Sunday morning.
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