University of North Carolina Athletics
Former Tar Heel Grice Tied For 4th At LPGA Qualifying
December 5, 2014 | Women's Golf
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Former University of North Carolina golfer Casey Grice stands in a tie for 4th place following the third round of the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Another former Tar Heel, Katherine Perry, is also participating and is tied for 40th place.
The five-day, 90-hole event is being played at LPGA International's Jones and Hill Courses. After leading the first day and sharing the lead the second day, Grice, playing the Jones Course on Friday, carded three birdies and five bogeys en route to a 2-over-par 74 and a 7-under 209 total. Grice birdied holes #5, #6 and #9 while recording bogies on holes #1, #3, #7, #8 and #17. Perry, also playing the Jones Course, fired a 3-under 69 on Friday and jumped up to a tie for 40th place after being tied for 82nd entering the round. Perry fired birdies on holes #4, #7, #8, #9 and #11 while recording bogies on just two holes, #2 and #12.
Ha Na Jang grabbed the third-round lead after firing a 6-under 66 for an 11-under 205 total. Three players are tied for 2nd place at 8-under 208 – Ju Young Park, Alison Lee and Simin Feng. Grice and Sophia Popov are deadlocked in fifth place at 7-under 209.
Play continues through Sunday as 154 players are vying to win status on the LPGA Tour. The top 20 finishers earn category 12 status on the LPGA priority list, with those finishing 21st to 45th picking up category 17 status. Status on the Symetra Tour's priority list is also up for grabs for those who don't earn category 12 or 17 status. The field will be cut to the low 70 players, including ties, after 72 holes, with the final 18 holes on Sunday determining who gets the treasured spots on Tour for the upcoming season.
Grice just concluded a strong rookie season on the Symetra Tour with three top-10 finishes and 15 cuts made in 20 events played. She ranks 24th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list. In the final event of the year, Grice tied for fourth place at the Symetra Tour Championship by firing a 9-under-par 279 total. Earlier this year she was presented the ANNIKA Academy Elite Athlete Award.
Grice, from College Station, Texas, was a three-year golf standout at North Carolina, 2010-12 – 2012-13. She was selected Honorable Mention Golfweek All-America in 2012 and 2013 and Honorable Mention NGCA All-America in 2013. Grice was also selected to the All-ACC team in 2012 and 2013.
Perry, a volunteer assistant coach for the Tar Heels from Cary, N.C., tied for 10th place at the Stage II LPGA Qualifying to advance to Stage III, the Final Stage. She finished with a 3-under 285 total at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Fla. A starter for the Tar Heels for the last four years, Perry was selected to the 2012 All-ACC team and was named NGCA All-America Honorable Mention that same year. She was a three-time selection to the All-ACC Academic Women's Golf Team (2012-2014) and chosen to the ACC Honor Roll four times (2011-2014).
During her Tar Heel career, Perry carded seven top-10 and 18 top-25 finishes. Perry had an impressive amateur career as well. She was the 2011 North Carolina Women's Amateur Champion and was the runner-up in 2012. She competed in the 2012 U.S. Women's Open and advanced to the round of 16 at the 2013 North and South Women's Amateur after advancing to the third round in 2011.
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Players Mentioned
