Carolina Ties School Record With 10-Under-Par Round

Monday, October 3

Charleston, S.C.

All Day

North Carolina

Cougar Classic

October 3, 2016 | Women's Golf

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Kelly Whaley fired a 6-under par 66 in the second round of the Cougar Classic on Monday to lead the women's golf team to a 278 10-under par round. The Tar Heels' 10-under par round ties the school record for lowest team round vs. par and lowest team round in stroke total. The team finished the round with an astonishing 21 birdies and an eagle.

"We are very proud of how everyone performed today," head coach Jan Mann said. "It was fun watching Kelly make birdie after birdie and to see Brynn have a great bounce back round. The entire team contributed to our success. We're looking forward to the challenge tomorrow."

Whaley rolled in six birdies on the back nine to give the Tar Heels a major boost. The 6-under round for Whaley is a career low and she's currently tied for second at 7-under par. Whaley's previous low was a 1-under 71 which came in the third round of the ACC Championship and the second round of the NCAA Championships in 2016. Whaley's 66 ties the school records in individual round vs. par and individual round by stroke total.

"I felt really motivated in the round and confident," Whaley said. "I made three bogeys but it never had a negative effect on me; I was really able to bounce back and forget about them quickly. I actually tweeked my putting grip yesterday with the coaches and it really paid off, since I had 28 putts.

"Tomorrow I am going in with the same mindset, one shot at a time while having confidence and patience around the greens. I can't get ahead of myself and I just have to believe that I know what I'm doing and it will come."

While Whaley had a historic round, the team couldn't have reached 10-under par without great performances from Leslie Cloots, Brynn Walker and Bryana Nguyen. Cloots finished at 2-under par 70. She had three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey on the first 17 holes, but the senior eagled No. 18 to get to 2-under par. She's tied for 10th at 3-under par. Brynn Walker, a freshman, posted her first collegiate under-par round today with four birdies and three bogeys to go 1-under 71 and is tied for 77th at 6-over. Nguyen also posted a 1-under par 71 with three birdies and a double bogey and sits in ninth place at 4-under par. Lexi Harkins was Carolina's fifth golfer on the day at 2-over par and is tied for 24th at even par.

Furman holds a slim lead over the Tar Heels at 18-under par. Furman looked like it was going to run away from the rest of the field early this morning, but the afternoon round from the Tar Heels made the Cougar Classic become a two-school race. Carolina sits at 17-under par just one stroke behind Furman. In third place is Wake Forest at 9-under par.

Kelly Whaley is tied for second and is just a couple strokes behind tournament leaders Sierra Sims of Wake Forest and Natalie Srinivasan of Furman.

The third and final round of the Cougar Classic will start tomorrow morning. Live results can be found on golfstat.com.