Tar Heel Women's Golfers Finish 11th At Tar Heel Invitational

Oct. 7, 2007

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Duke overtook the Tennessee Volunteers in the final few holes to capture the team title at the Tar Heel Invitational, which featured nine of the top 20 teams in the country. Duke started the day three strokes behind Tennessee and fell even further behind after the Volunteers got off to a good start. Duke coach, Dan Brooks, although typically does not talk to his players during the round, "hinted to everybody that they just needed to get tough" and the Duke players did so. They finished the day at even-par 288, and shot 13-over 877 for the tournament. Tennessee continued to play well, although it was not quite enough and finished in second place at 15-over 879. Georgia and Auburn tied for third place after shooting 294 and 291, respectively, finishing the tournament at 885. Wake Forest and Vanderbilt finished in a tie for fifth at 886.

In the final round of the tournament, the Tar Heels found their game. The Tar Heels moved up three spots to finish in 11th place. The Tar Heels shot three-over 291 which was their best this tournament by 12 strokes. The top finisher for the Tar Heels was Kate Thomas, a sophomore from Murwillumbah, Australia, who shot even-par 72, finishing in a tie for 10th at three-over 219. Lauren Hunt, a junior from Little River, S.C., tied this year's tournament low round and shot the low round in the final round, a four-under 68. She moved from tied for 49th to tied for 19th at six-over 222. Hunt "went out today and just played one shot at a time" and was able to just go out and play the golf course with nothing to lose. Coach Sally Austin said the Tar Heels played like they were capable, but knows they still left a few shots on the course and have room to improve.

Amanda Blumenherst, a junior from Duke, fired a her third consecutive under-par round, the only player to do so in the tournament, to take home the individual title. For the second straight day she finished strong, birdieing the final two holes. Blumenherst hit the ball solidly and claimed she knows the course well, which helped her have consistent rounds. She shot 70 in the final round to finish at seven-under 209. Alina Lee of Georgia started the day tied for second, and had three birdies in her first seven holes, helping her finish in sole second at four-under 212. Jacqui Concolino from Vanderbilt shot one-under 71 to finish in third place at two-under 214. Pernilla Lindberg from Oklahoma State shot even-par 72 to finish at one-under 215 in fourth place. Natalie Sheary of Wake Forest, Diana Cantu of Tennessee and Michaela Cavener of Tulsa finished at even-par 216 in a three-way tie for fifth place.

For the Tar Heels, senior Ann Laney, from Charlotte, N.C., bounced back from shooting 83 yesterday to shoot 74 and finish tied for 57th at 14-over 230. Senior Laura Caniff, from Russell, Ky., fired a 78 and tied for 71st place with a 235, while senior Colette Lowe, from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., tied for 76th after posting a 77 for a total of 237. Three Tar Heels are playing as individuals, junior Sydney Crane, from Jamestown, N.C., and freshmen Jordan Allyne, from Bellevue, Wash., as well as Margaret Pentrack, from Pittsburgh, Pa. Pentrack carded a 71 to finish tied for 44th at 11-over 227. Crane shot a five-over 77 to finish one stroke behind Pentrack at 12-over 228 in a tie for 50th, while Allyne posted an 84 to finish tied for 91st at 31-over par.

The Tar Heel Invitational featured 12 of the top 30 teams in the country and was played at UNC Finley Golf Course located in Chapel Hill. The course is a par-72, 6,285-yard layout.

Players Mentioned

Jordan Allyne

Laura Caniff

Sydney Crane

Lauren Hunt

Ann Laney

Collette Lowe

Margaret Pentrack

Kate Thomas

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