University of North Carolina Athletics
Women's Golf 1999-2000 Preview
September 24, 1999 | Women's Golf
Sept. 24, 1999
With experienced players, a demanding schedule and a talented freshman class, Coach Sally Austin is sure of one thing for this year's North Carolina's women's golf team - "they are capable." The Tar Heels look to use these assets to improve upon a disappointing finish last year and return among the nation's elite programs in 1999-2000.
Last season, North Carolina stumbled towards the close of the spring season and failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships. "It was disappointing," says Austin. "We were a better team than we showed." With the exception of Cuyler Buckles and Shelley McKevitt in the fall, the Tar Heels will have their top performers from last year's squad to help the team try to improve upon last year's finish. McKevitt should return to the team in the spring after concentrating on academics this fall.
High expectations rest upon team veteran Marcy Newton, the only senior on this year's roster. Newton was the only Tar Heel to place in the top 15 in every tournament last year, winning medalist honors at the Fripp Island Intercollegiate and placing second at the Lady Gamecock Classic. "Marcy can be as good as she wants to be," says Austin. "She has all the tools, physically and mentally."
Likewise, Coach Austin anticipates strong seasons from past English Girls Champion Shelley McKevitt and sophomore Heather Angell. Angell had several strong showings in tournaments throughout last spring's season. Others expected to make an impact are returning players, junior Britta Olson and sophomore Kimberly Smith.
While veteran players provide the team with a foundation of experience and maturity, freshmen Abby Spector and Sarah Turcotte offer fresh energy and talent. "They're fired up," asserts Austin. Spector, a native of Waterville, Maine, should step in and be a major force right away. Austin says she expects Turcott to turn out great results as well.
The Tar Heels will need solid performances from every player as they face very challenging fall and spring schedules. The team will compete in four fall tournaments featuring consistent top 10 foes such as Duke, Auburn and Tennessee. The Tar Heels will face off with most of the top teams from the East Coast at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, Tenn., in mid-October.
Austin said she is disappointed the team will not face many West Coast teams, but she anticipates a great field at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., one of six tournaments for the Tar Heels in the spring.
While top opponents await the Tar Heels this season, the team no longer has to face the challenge of finding a facility for practice and hosting tournaments. During the 1998-99 season, the Tar Heels' home at the A.E.Finley Golf Course was closed and renovated into one of the premier college facilities in the nation.
Designed by internationally renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio, the course features a completely different layout, a state-of-the-art irrigation and drainage system, and an expanded practice facility. It will soon include a renovated clubhouse and snack shop as well as a golf team facility housing locker rooms, meeting areas and offices for both the men's and women's teams. The new course provides the team with a state-of-the-art facility for practicing and hosting tournaments.
With this worry behind them, team members can now focus on improving both their short and long games. But one of the greatest challenges the Tar Heels may face this season may not be their opponents, but themselves. Austin says it is important that the team develops a confidence that they are and can be a top 10 team.
"This team is capable of being a very good team," says Austin. "It depends on how hard we work and how much we believe in ourselves. We have the potential to be as good as anybody in the country."
![Images from the first round of the 2026 Gators Invitational on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Photo by Matt Pendleton Photography for North Carolina Tar Heels Athletics]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Func.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F3%2F7%2F260306-NCAAWGOLF-UNC-GatorsInvitational-0828-MattPendleton_copy.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
