University of North Carolina Athletics
Q & A With Tar Heel Golfer Lauren Hunt
October 3, 2006 | Women's Golf
Oct. 3, 2006
This week, TarHeelBlue sat down with Lauren Hunt, a sophomore on the women's golf team from Little River, S.C. Hunt captured her first collegiate victory earlier this fall when she won the Cougar Classic, Sept. 11-12, firing a six-under-par 210 total to post a two-stroke victory. This weekend, the Tar Heels will play host to the Lady Tar Heel Invitational to be played Friday through Sunday at UNC Finley Golf Course. The public is invited to attend and there is no admission fee. The Lady Tar Heel Invitational features a tremendous field of 17 teams, 10 of which are ranked in the top 20 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. The Tar Heels are ranked 14th.
THB: When did you first start playing golf?
Lauren: "I started playing golf when I was two, like Tiger (Woods). I started playing competitive golf when I was eight to 10. I started really getting serious about golf and became competitive when I was probably 14 or 15."
THB: When was the first tournament you won?
Lauren: "When I was eight years old, I won in Myrtle Beach at Arrowhead Golf Course. I think we played five holes and there was only like four girls in the subdivision."
THB: Is that a pretty fond memory?
Lauren: "I was young. It's probably not my most memorable win, but it definitely was my first one."
THB: What would you say your most memorable win is?
Lauren: "The Junior Azalea. I had won a few tournaments before then and it was really the last tournament of the summer. I met with the Director of Golf one day after I hit balls and stuff. We were going to play a practice round. I introduced myself and the director says, `Okay, you were here last year.' And I was like yeah. He goes, `Yeah, we've got a lot of good players this year, you know.' He just threw out all these good names and I was like you forgot one, Lauren Hunt, and he chuckles and goes, `Oh, okay.' I said, I'm serious I came to play this year, I've gotten better, been working hard, and I'm going to win this year. Three days later, he was the one handing me my trophy. So it was just kinda like I set my mind to it, and I did it, and it was my first time doing that."
THB: When did you decide you wanted to play golf in college?
Lauren: "Probably when I was in the 8th grade. I played other sports up until then, and I kinda decided that I wanted to focus on one, instead of trying to be good in all of them. So, in 8th grade finally I was like I want to go play college golf."
THB: When did you decide on North Carolina?
Lauren: "Mmm, whenever I got an offer. I really wanted to come here though."
THB: Did you really look at any other schools?
Lauren: "All the schools on the east coast pretty much, from Florida to Virginia. Virginia was the farthest north I went, but I had my heart set on playing here."
THB: Was the Cougar Classic your first win?
Lauren: "It was my first collegiate win."
THB: How does the Cougar Classic win compare to some of your other wins?
Lauren: "It felt pretty good. You know, obviously college golf is that next amateur level golf and you're playing with the best of the best in college. It's kind of a big stepping stone, I guess you could say."
THB: What would you say is your biggest strength and biggest weakness?
Lauren: "Biggest strength, mental game. Right now I feel I'm in control of my emotions pretty well and I think that's key. And like Coach Austin likes to say, make those putts and that's where you score, so there is always room for improvement right there."
THB: How do you foresee the Tar Heels performing in the upcoming tournament?
Lauren: "We'll play well. It's like the nationals here with all the good teams. We have the top teams in the nation coming. Our tournament is 17 teams and after the way we played in the Cougar Classic, I feel pretty good. I feel like we're going to pull it together on our home turf, and I know we have a bitter taste in our mouth from last year, but hopefully we can pull through and play like we know we can play."
![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
