University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Takes 11th At Tar Heel Invitational
October 11, 2009 | Women's Golf
Oct. 11, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
The University of North Carolina women's golf team concluded play at the Tar Heel Invitational on Sunday with 890 for an 11th place finish. While the team missed their own high expectations, they do have something to work towards heading into the end of the fall season.
"We would have certainly liked to finish better than we did," says head coach Jan Mann, "but the girls put forth a good effort. We know where we've got to work and we look forward to improving on it."
That focus is putting. Throughout the tournament, the Tar Heels carded an uncharacteristic number of extra strokes on the greens. But Coach Mann was still impressed with the team's improvement on ball striking and competitive mentality.
"I think that we hit the ball extremely well and I think their mental game, for the most part was very good," says Coach Mann, "I want us to keep improving. I want us to keep getting better."
Sophomore Catherine O'Donnell stayed at the head of the Tar Heels camp, carding a one-under 71 on her final round of competition. That final birdie came on the par three 12th hole, her last hole for the day, when the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., native drove off the tee to land the ball within a few feet of the cup.
"This was probably my best day. I actually didn't hit it as well, but I putted a lot better," says O'Donnell, who finished the tournament in a tie for ninth place with an overall score of 217. On a side note, O'Donnell tied for first in the number of pars earned at 43.
Senior Kate Thomas was second for Carolina, carding a one-over 73 on the final day to pull her up to a tie for 21st. The Murwillumbah, Australia, native also finished her round at the 12th hole, where she pulled off an impressive chip-and-long putt combo to save par. Thomas scored 221 for the whole tournament.
Freshman Courtney Gunter finished the Tar Heel Invitational with a 228 total for a tie for 61st place after carding a four-over 76 in the final round. Junior transfer Sarah Thead was right behind Gunter in a tie for 64th after carding 230 for the tournament. Junior Jordan Allyne couldn't hang on to her handling from Saturday, but she finished competition in a tie for 84th with an overall score of 236.
Playing as individuals were freshman Michelle Ahn and junior Margaret Pentrack. Ahn took 89th place with 242 and Pentrack took 90th with 244.
Michigan State proved to be an up-and-coming powerhouse in women's golf with a true domination of the field throughout the invitational. The Spartans claimed the title with a four-under 860 and were 12 strokes ahead of second place.
"It feels great," says Michigan State head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, "This is, I would say, one of the biggest wins for our program. We've been close and we've been a good team for a long time now, but we just hadn't had that break-through."
Auburn held on to finish the tournament in second place, after a very impressive leap on the leader board on Saturday. Auburn finished the tournament with an eight-over 872. Alabama took third with 875.
On the player leader board, Sara-Maude Juneau took the individual title with a remarkable 10-under tournament finish. The junior from Louisville carded 70-68-68 to be under par all three days of the Tar Heel Invitational. A tie for second was claimed by Michigan State's Laura Kueny and Vanderbilt's Marina Alex, each earning a four-under 212.
The Tar Heel Invitational was played at UNC Finley Golf Course, which features a par 72, 6,285-yard layout. The women's golf program will next see action at The Landfall Tradition Fall Preview in Wilmington, N.C., on October 23rd through 25th.
![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
