University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Mason Rudolph Championship Day 1
Carolina Heads To The Mason Rudolph Championship
September 14, 2017 | Women's Golf
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The University of North Carolina women's golf team opens play Friday in Tennessee against a highly-competitive field when the Tar Heels travel to the Mason Rudolph Championship.
The 17th-annual 54-hole event will be played Friday through Sunday, Sept. 15-17, at the Vanderbilt Legends Club North Course, which is located 12 miles south of Nashville. The par-72, 6,335-yard course is regarding among Tennessee's top layouts and served as the host for the 2012 NCAA Women's Championship. North Carolina finished 10th at the Championships in 2012, led by Katherine Perry, a rookie on the LPGA tour.Â
"There are a lot of similarities between the Vanderbilt Legends North Course and Finley - fairly wide-open fairways, pretty large greens," Head Coach Jan Mann said. "I think it has somewhat of the same feel, so I felt like the girls were comfortable in their practice round today. We will continue reminding them about the similarities, and I think that will be reassuring to them when they tee it up tomorrow."
Carolina's starting five will be Ava Bergner, who finished as the top Tar Heel and tied for 10th in her first collegiate tournament at the Ocean Course Invitational, junior Kelly Whaley, sophomore Brynn Walker, senior Bryana Nguyen and sophomore Mariana Ocano. Junior Clementina Rodriguez will compete as an individual.Â
Ten of the 15 squads scheduled to compete in the Mason Rudolph field participated in NCAA postseason play last season. In addition to defending national champion Arizona State, 2017 national runner-up Northwestern and Carolina, National Championship qualifiers in the field include Alabama, South Carolina, Clemson and Arkansas. Three other teams - Auburn, Houston and UCF advanced to NCAA Regionals.Â
"We'll see how we stack up, but I'm confident in this team and their abilities," Mann said. "We can't worry about what the competition is doing. We just go out, and as far as our strategy, stick with it and stick with our game plan."
Eight teams in the field are ranked in the Golfweek Bushnell Preseason Coaches Poll, including No. 3 Alabama, No.4 Arizona State, No. 6 Northwestern, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 23 Clemson, No. 29 North Carolina and No. 30 Auburn.Â
"The fear of failure is always there," Mann said. "But if you have faith that you've done all that you can and prepared as well as you can, then I think you can do very well."
COURSE INFORMATION
Vanderbilt Legends - North Course - Franklin, Tenn. - Par 72 - 6,335 yards.
SINGLE ROUND TEE TIMES
Friday - 1st tee times at 9:30 a.m. ET
Saturday - 1st tee times at 9:30 a.m. ET
Sunday - 1st tees at 9 a.m. ETÂ
LIVE SCORING & RESULTS
Live results from the Mason Rudolph Championship will be available at Golfstat.com. As always, follow @uncwomensgolf on Twitter for updates on the Tar Heels throughout the tournament.
WEATHER FORCAST
The Nashville area was impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Irma earlier in the week, however rain chances greatly diminish during weekend play.
Players Mentioned
