University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NCAA Championship
UNC Women's Golf Team Tied For Fourth At NCAA Championship
May 20, 2009 | Women's Golf
May 20, 2009
OWINGS MILLS, MD. -
The University of North Carolina women's golf team, which led for much of the day, carded a 301 in the second round for a 600 total and is in a three-way tie for fourth place. Two Tar Heels, Catherine O'Donnell and Sydney Crane, are tied for ninth place in the individual race.
The Tar Heels, playing in the first afternoon wave, were one-under on the front nine and led the 24-team field much of the day. However, Carolina faltered some on the back nine losing several shots and finishing at 13-over 301. But the Tar Heels are still in the hunt, just 11 shots behind team leader UCLA with two rounds left to play.
"We started out playing real well on the front nine," says Carolina head coach Sally Austin. "We lost a few shots on the back. The back side plays tougher and the wind picked up a bit this afternoon, but we're still in a great position. We're pleased to be where we are."
Carolina's Sydney Crane and Catherine O'Donnell are tied for ninth place with three-over 147 totals. Crane, a senior from Jamestown, N.C., had the best round of the day for Tar Heels, firing an even par 72. O'Donnell, the co-leader entering the second round, carded a five-over 77 on Wednesday. She struggled a bit on the back nine (+6) after playing the front nine in one-under. Junior Kate Thomas, from Murwillumbah, Australia, also shot a 77 in the second round for a 153 total and is tied for 48th place. Freshman Allie White and senior Lauren Hunt both carded a four-over 76 on Wednesday. White, from Lancaster, Ohio, has a 154 total and is tied for 66th while Hunt, from Little River, S.C., is three shots back at 157 in a tie for 86th place.
UCLA fired a five-over-par 293, the day's low round, for a 13-over 589 total to grab the lead over the 24-team field. The Bruins hold a seven-stroke lead over Southern California which has a 596 total after firing a 295 in the second round. Denver is in third place at 598 while Carolina, Arizona State and Oklahoma State are tied for fourth place with 600 totals.
Maria Jose Unibe fired a six-under-par 66 in the second round for a three-under 141 total to grab the individual lead. Three players are two stokes back in a tie for second place at one-under 143 - Wake Forest's Nannette Hill who shot a 71 on Wednesday, Pepperdine's Lisa McCloskey who shot 69 and Denver's Stephanie Sherlock who shot 73. Jennifer Song of Southern California is alone in fifth place at one-over 145 while three players are tied for sixth with 146 totals - UCF's Stephanie Connelly, Purdue's Maria Hernandez and Oklahoma State's Pernilla Lindberg. Carolina's Crane and O'Donnell are among five players tied for ninth place with 147 totals.
The 72-hole event continues through Friday and is being played at Caves Valley Golf Club which features a par 72, 6,433-yard layout. Live scoring is available on TarHeelBlue.com or on Golfstat.com. In addition, a live webcast will be available on TarHeelBlue.com and Golfstat.com during the final two rounds. Coverage will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to approximately 6:30 p.m. (conclusion) on Thursday and Friday.
Players Mentioned
