University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Finish Match Play at NGCA
September 8, 2009 | Women's Golf
Sept. 8, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. - The North Carolina women's golf team concluded match play at the National Golf Coaches Association Collegiate Match Play Championship on Tuesday with an unfortunate finish. Even though the Tar Heels were tied two matches apiece against Ole Miss with a tied match on the line, Carolina was overtaken by the Rebels based on a scoring technicality.
Junior transfer Sarah Thead and freshman Courtney Gunter both won their matches by two-hole leads. Thead beat Ashley Lance with one hole left and Gunter beat Haley Sanders on the final hole. Both Thead and Gunter's rounds were marked by a battle of taking the lead, to losing the lead, to taking it back to win the matches.
Sophomore Catherine O'Donnell struggled on the day despite an impressive showing throughout the tournament. O'Donnell continually bogeyed during her match against Sara Grantham to lose it by four holes with three left to play. Junior Margaret Pentrack lost her match to Haley Millsap by three holes after 16 holes played.
Junior Jordan Allyne had the lead her entire match, the climax being a three-hole lead at her sixth and seventh holes against Jillian Brodd. Allyne's lead dropped to two holes after that, stayed solid for the next five holes, and then dropped to all-square with three holes left to play. Allyne and Brodd could never get out of the dead-even scorecards. But because Ole Miss had lead by a higher margin in their two victories than Thead and Gunter had, the Tar Heels were beat out by the Rebels.
In the championship match between LSU and Auburn, LSU took the tournament match play title with three victories over Auburn's one and a split tie. LSU was lead by Tessa Teachman who in an impressive match play round beat out Auburn's Haley Wilson by six holes with five left to play.
The NGCA Collegiate Match Play Championship was played at the LPGA International Legends Course, which features a par 72, 6,280-yard layout.
Carolina's next sight at action will be at the Duramed Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C., on Sunday September 13th and Monday September 14th.
![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
