University of North Carolina Athletics
Golfweek Ranks UNC Women Fifth
September 8, 2011 | Women's Golf
Sept. 8, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina women's golf team is ranked fifth in Golfweek's preseason women's rankings. Coming off an ACC Championship season and a tie for eighth place at the NCAA Championships, the Tar Heels begin their fall campaign this Sunday at the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C., where they are the defending champions.
"We are looking forward to competing in our first event of the fall," says Tar Heel head coach Jan Mann. "The Cougar Classic played at Yeamans Hall is one of our favorite tournaments of the year. The team won there last year so we hope to defend our title. The field at this year's event is very strong so it will be a great test for our players.
"I believe we are a top five team," Mann continues. "We have everyone returning who competed last spring, and they are going into the season with a great deal of confidence. However, the team will have to work extremely hard. Our goal is for each of us to give 100 percent every day so that when we look back on this year there will be zero regrets."
Carolina is led by two seniors, Catherine O'Donnell and Allie White. O'Donnell, from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was a third-team Ping Golfweek All-America and All-ACC performer last year. O'Donnell finished third at the 2011 ACC Championships and carded five top-10 and seven top-25 finishes for the Tar Heels last season. This summer she represented the United States at the World University Games in China. White, from Lancaster, Ohio, was also an All-ACC selection last year and a National Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholar. She was the runner-up at the 2011 ACC Championships, carding two top-5 and three top-20 finishes in Carolina's seven spring tournaments.
The Tar Heels are the defending champion of the Cougar Classic where they fired a 4-under-par 860 total to finish eight strokes ahead of runner-up Mississippi. Two Tar Heel sophomores (then freshmen), Jackie Chang and Casey Grice, tied for second place after firing 3-under 213 totals. Courtney Gunter, now a junior, tied for sixth place at 1-under 215 while O'Donnell tied for 21st place along with Katherine Perry, now a sophomore, who was competing as an individual. Sarah Thead, a senior last year, tied for 42nd.
The 54-hole Cougar Classic will be played Sunday through Tuesday at Yeamans Hall, a par 72, 6,205-yard layout. The Tar Heels will begin teeing off in the first round at 8:54 on Sunday off the first tee. In Monday's second round, they will tee off #10 beginning at 12:45 and there will be a 9:00 shotgun start for Tuesday's final round.
![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
