University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
ACC Championships Day 2
Ocano's 67 Moves Carolina Into Fifth At ACC Championship
April 22, 2018 | Women's Golf
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of North Carolina's Mariana Ocano shot a clean-sheet 67 in round two of the ACC Women's Golf Championship at the Grandover East Course to help the Tar Heels finish at even par for the round and climb six spots on the leaderboard into fifth.
After an 18-over-par 306 round to open the ACC Championship on Saturday, the Tar Heels began round two in 11th place out of 12 teams. However, Carolina started on the back nine in round two and found their groove on the less-grueling portion of the course. The Tar Heels shot par or better on all but seven holes over that back nine, including an eagle from Brynn Walker on No. 13, her second of the tournament.
"It was like two entirely different teams out there between day one and day two," head coach Jan Mann said. "But that happens. The thing I really liked was that they bounced back. They know they can play. They were disappointed with yesterday, obviously, but it's golf and they didn't let it get them down. They had a good attitude last night and going into this morning, and I think that made a difference for us. They didn't try and do anything special; they just went out and played like I know they can."
Ocano, a sophomore out of St. Petersburg, Fla., shot 3-under over the back nine and birdied No. 18 before moving to the front nine. She became one of only five Tar Heels to shoot a 67 in ACC Championship play and one of only 11 to do so in any event in program history. The score also ties the ACC Championship record at the Grandover East Course. Ocano is currently in a tie for ninth at even par.
"Mariana is really strong, she is one of the hardest workers on the team, she is very athletic and the only thing that ever really gets in her way is her head," Mann said. "But before each shot today, she had a smile on her face, she did some deep breathing before the shots, kept herself relaxed and it paid off for her."
Walker, a sophomore from St. David's, Pa., shot par or better on all but three holes and finished the day with an even-par 72. She is in a tie for 19th at 4-over through two rounds.
Junior Kelly Whaley (Farmington, Conn.) turned in a 73 after firing in birdies on two of her last four holes. She now sits at 5-over par and in a tie for 22nd.
Senior Bryana Nguyen (Columbia, Md.) and freshman Ava Bergner (Ketsch, Germany) both shot 76s to complete the round-two scoring effort for Carolina. Nguyen is now in a tie for 39th at 9-over and Bergner is in a tie for 47th at 12-over.
Duke continues to top the leaderboard, now at 13-under par and 17 shots ahead of second-place Florida State. Leona Maguire of Duke is also still in the lead at 7-under after shooting a 70 in round two, but is being challenged by teammate Jaravee Boonchant who is a 6-under after firing a 67 Sunday.
ROUND 3: Round 3 of the ACC Championship will resume at 8 a.m. Sunday. Carolina will tee off from hole 1 with Virginia & Wake Forest beginning at 8 a.m. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com, fans can follow @uncwomensgolf on twitter for updates throughout the round and a full recap will be available following the conclusion of play.
TAR HEEL SCORES
T9 - Mariana Ocano 77-67—144 (E)
T19 - Brynn Walker 76-72—148 (+4)
T22 - Kelly Whaley 76-73—149 (+5)
T39 - Bryana Nguyen 77-76—153 (+9)
T47 - Ava Bergner 80-76—156 (+12)
Team Totals: 306-288—594, +18 (5th of 12 teams)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Duke 282-281—563 (-13)
2. Florida State 291-289—580 (+4)
3. Clemson 286-297—583 (+7)
4. Wake Forest 297-293—590 (+14)
5. North Carolina 306-288—594 (+18)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
1. Leona Maguire (Duke) 67-70—137 (-7)
2. Jaravee Boonchant (Duke) 71-67—138 (-6)
3. Amanda Doherty (Florida State) 72-67—139 (-5)
T4. Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest) 72-70—142 (-2)
T4. Morgane Metraux (Florida State) 73-69—142 (-2)
T4. Sydney Legacy (Clemson) 69-73—142 (-2)
Players Mentioned
