University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Golfers Hope to Top Fifth Place Finish at Past ACC Championships.
April 15, 2011 | Women's Golf
April 15, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
Patience and confidence.
The two most talked about subjects among the North Carolina women's golf team as they head to Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. for the ACC Championships. The Tar Heels representing Carolina are juniors Catherine O'Donnell and Allie White and freshmen Casey Grice, Katherine Perry and Jackie Chang.
Head coach Jann Mann is confident that the team can best its fifth place finish in last year's championships. "I feel strongly that we are one of the best teams out there," said Mann. "I think we have to stay focused, stay patient and really be competitive out there."
With Sedgefield Country Club all three components are key. It is a famous Donald Ross Golf Course and is meant to push those who play it to perform at their very best.
O'Donnell, who has consistently been the low Tar Heel in the spring, has seen the course twice before and knows what to expect.
"I feel good going into it," said O'Donnell. "I've obviously played the course two times before so I think I know it pretty well and I think that if the team stays patient we should do really well this weekend."
Mann believes O'Donnell's experience, leadership and determination will be instrumental in their success at the ACC Championships and will set a great example for the rest of the team.
White is no stranger to Sedgefield Country Club either. She played the course as a freshman and, after transferring to Ohio State University her sophomore year, is back for more. Ineligible to play in the fall, White says she is glad to be wearing Carolina blue once again in the spring. Mann said she is glad to have her back.
White said, "I am really super thankful and very, very excited. I couldn't be more proud of my teammates and just feel like i'm playing with a better set of people."
With three freshmen, inexperience with the course could be an issue for the Tar Heels. Mann said she can see it as both an advantage and disadvantage. The advantage being they are extremely competitive; the opposite being less confident with their shots.
"If there's any weakness that i've seen in these freshmen it is they'll tend to lose their confidence after a couple of bad shots," explained Mann. "We've really worked on that the last several weeks of maintaining a level of confidence and staying in the process of hitting shots versus worrying about the outcome."
Overall, these ladies have all worked hard preparing for this year's ACC Championships and have relied on the advice of their teammates and coaches. Even Anson Dorrance, Carolina women's soccer head coach and winner of 21 national championships, gave them a few words of encouragement. Mann has stressed to her team that if they want to win, they have to stay confident in their routines and take this tournament one shot at a time.
"Nothing's changed just because it's the ACC Championship," said Mann. "It's the same thing we've been preaching all year long."
![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
