University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Tar Heel Invitational
Carolina Golfers Host Tar Heel Invitational
October 8, 2010 | Women's Golf
Oct. 8, 2010
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
The nation's top women's golf teams gathered at UNC Finley Golf Course Friday as North Carolina hosted the opening round of the Tar Heel Invitational. North Carolina carded a six-over-par 294 for the first day of the Invitational putting the Tar Heels in 12th place. Sophomore Courtney Gunter led the Tar Heels in Friday's opening round by firing a two-under-par 70.
"It was definitely a Carolina day as far as the beautiful blue sky," said Tar Heel head coach Jan Mann. "Our team started out very well, but when we made the turn the wheels fell off a little bit for our freshmen. I think maybe they were putting too much pressure on themselves to perform here at home."
Courtney Gunter, a sophomore from Matthews, N.C., tied for eighth place after her performance on the first day carding a two-under 70 to led the Tar Heels. Catherine O'Donnell, a junior from Ponte Vedra, Fla., also led the team by posting a one-under 71. The back nine caused trouble for the Carolina golfers. Freshman Jackie Chang, from Paridise Valley, Ariz., shot a double bogey, three bogeys and a birdie on the back nine bringing her to a four-over 74 while Casey Grice, a freshman from College Station, Tex., fired a double bogey, two bogeys and a birdie for a five-over 75. Katherine Perry, a freshman from Cary, N.C., finished the day carding a seven-over 79. The Tar Heels also have four individuals playing in the Invitational. Senior Sarah Thead, from Poway, Calif., is tied for 36th after posting a one-over 73, Michelle Ahn, a sophomore Chapel Hill native, shot a four-over 77, Jordan Allyne, a senior from Bellevue, Wash., fired a six-over 78 and senior Margaret Pentrack from Pittsburgh, Pa., shot a 12-over 84.
Alabama was sensational in its opening round. The Crimson Tide is first after firing an 11-under 277 putting them seven shots ahead of top-ranked LSU. The Tigers are alone in second after posting a three-under 285. Duke and Florida are tied for third with even par 288 totals while Tulane and Michigan State are tied for fifth with one-over 289 totals. Virginia sits alone in seventh with a two-over 290. Tied for eighth is South Carolina and Wake Forest with three-over 291 totals while Texas A&M completes the top ten at four-over 292.
Following his team's first round strong performance Alabama head coach Mic Potter said: "First of all the weather conditions were great, there wasn't much wind and it was pretty easy to account for. The course is in fantastic shape so in putting if you hit the ball on line you had a good chance of having it go in the hole. Our team is pretty good at hitting the ball the right distance onto the greens and they give themselves a lot of chances for birdies."
Brooke Pancake of Alabama is in first place after firing a seven-under 65. Pancake tied the Finley Golf Course women's record and is one of three women to shoot that low. Viranda Nirapathopongporn of Duke shot a 65 in 2001 during the NCAA East Regional and Ashley Knoll of Texas A&M fired a 65 in 2005 during the Tar Heel Invitational. Tied for second are Tulane's Janine Fellows and LSU's Megan McChrystal. Brittany Altomare of Vrigina is alone in fourth. Tied for fifth are Vanderbilt's Julia Thead (an individual entrant), Alabama's Camilla Lennarth, and Texas A&M's Sarah Zwartyniski. There is a five-way tie for eighth between Courtney Gunter of North Carolina, Sara-Maude Juneau of Louisville, Evan Jensen of Florida, Aimee Neff of Michigan State and Brittany Marchand of North Carolina State.
Coach Mann is optimistic about the Tar Heels going into Saturday's round. Mann said: "The bright spot heading into tomorrow is that I know these girls can fire some low numbers. I know they can make a lot of birdies out there. I know they will be more relaxed tomorrow - I really feel that."
The 54-hole event continues through Sunday at UNC Finley Golf Course which features a par 72, 6,285-yard layout. Live scoring is available on TarHeelBlue.com and Golfstat.com. Admission is free and the public is welcome to come out and see some fantastic golf as 14 of the 18 teams are in the top 30 nationally.
Immediately following play on Sunday afternoon, the Tar Heels will host a "Meet the Heels" event. The event should begin between 2:30-3:00 p.m. and give fans an opportunity to meet the student-athletes, receive autographs and get a copy of the 2010 team poster.
Players Mentioned
