University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Cougar Classic
Whaley Leads Team To First-Place Finish At Cougar Classic
October 4, 2016 | Women's Golf
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of North Carolina women's golf team shot 9-under par in the final round of the Cougar Classic to finish 26-under par and capture the 44th tournament title in program history. Kelly Whaley shot 4-under in the final round to get to 11-under par for the tournament and took first among all individuals.
“We are extremely proud of this team and how they played this week,” head coach Jan Mann said following the win. “They have put in the hard work and feel this win has been coming for a long time. Congratulations to Kelly on her first collegiate win as well. We're look forward to carrying this momentum into the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel in two weeks.”
The team's performance of 26-under par is by far the best tournament in school history. Carolina finished 15 strokes better than their previous best at the Cougar Classic in 2011. Four of Carolina's five best rounds in school history have now come from the Cougar Classic.
Whaley's individual performance ranks first in Carolina history. Her 54-hole total score is the lowest by any Tar Heel surpassing Meaghan Francella's 206 at the 2004 ACC Championship. Whaley also surpassed Katie Peterson's 8-under par performance at the Duke Spring Invitational, a record that had stood for 30 years before today.
Whaley's 11-under par performance over the last three days came from a 71 in the first round, a blazing 66 in the second round and a 68 in the third round. Whaley led the field in par-4 and par-5 scoring at 7-under and 10-under, respectively. She finished with a tournament-best 18 birdies. It was her first collegiate victory.
"There's no better feeling than winning as a team and adding an individual win on top of it," Whaley said. "I'm so proud of all the girls, we have been working so hard and it finally paid off! Everyone of us contributed and it truly was a team effort. As for individually, it was just amazing! I have wanted this for a while and with hard work, support for coaches and teammates, and belief it happened. I couldn't have done it with out the team and coaches and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Whaley's individual performance certainly led the team to its first title in three years, but it took the efforts of the remaining four participants to earn the school record and tournament title. Leslie Cloots finished the tournament at 5-under par and tied for eighth after a 2-under-par final round. Brynn Walker also had a 2-under par round to close the tournament. She finished tied for 45th at 4-over par. Lexi Harkins and Bryana Nguyen tied for 19th at 1-under par. Harkins posted a 1-under par round today while Nguyen was 3-over par. It was the first time in school history that four of Carolina's starters finished a tournament under par.
Furman held a slim lead over the Tar Heels heading into the final round of the Cougar Classic. The Tar Heels once again had the best round of any team at the tournament at 9-under par. The 9-under par round ranks second all-time in Carolina history. UNC finished above Furman by eight strokes to claim first place.
The Cougar Classic was played as a 54-hole tournament over the course of three days on Yeaman's Hall golf course which featured a par 72, 6,224-yard layout.
OTHER NOTES
· The 26-under par team performance is the lowest in the history of the tournament. It's the second time that Carolina has won the Cougar Classic. The first time came in 2011.
· Whaley's 6-under 66 in the second round tied the tournament record for lowest round.
· Whaley is the first Tar Heel to win an individual title since Elizabeth Mallett won the SMU/Dallas Athletic Club Invitational in 2013.
UP NEXT
The Tar Heels return home to host the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational on October 14-16.
