University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Day 2
Bergner In 8th, Carolina In 4th At Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate
February 19, 2018 | Women's Golf
NEW ORLEANS - On a windy day at the English Turn Golf & Country Club, the University of North Carolina women's golf team used 11 birdies down the back nine to shoot the third-best score of the second round at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Monday, shooting 11-over par 299. The Tar Heels are in fourth place at 15-over par for the tournament.
"After the first nine holes, we were 15-over par, which was not good obviously," head coach Jan Mann said. "Then, I was just really, really impressed with how they hung in there. They didn't give up. The conditions didn't let up, but they kept their emotions in check, they fought threw it and ended up 11-over, which doesn't sound great, but when you compare it to everybody else it wasn't that bad."
No team shot better than 4-over on the day due to the gusty wind conditions, and no other team made more than eight birdies down the back stretch. The strong finish has Carolina just seven strokes back from the lead, held by Florida at 8-over par.
"The conditions did not get better," Mann said. "And I would say the back side is more difficult than the front. I just think they dug in, held it together, were patient and determined."
Freshman Ava Bergner leads Carolina in a tie for eighth place at 1-over par after shooting a 73 in the second round. After battling illness in the first round, Bergner's improved health on Monday helped her fire in five birdies on the back nine, including on 18, which she triple bogeyed on Sunday. She leads the field in birdies with 11 and is in position for a third top-10 finish on the year.
"She's amazing," Mann said. "She really is. I love the way that she handles herself on the golf course. She was 5-over on the front nine, and she doesn't let it bother her. She finds a way to bring it back. I'm very impressed with her."
In addition to Bergner, every Tar Heel moved up in the individual standings despite the weather. Sophomore Brynn Walker shot a 75 to move up into a tie for 12th at 3-over, senior Bryana Nguyen shot a 76 to move into a tie for 19th at 5-over, junior Kelly Whaley shot a 75 to move into a tie for 26th and sophomore Mariana Ocano shot a 79 to move into a tie for 73rd at 15-over.
"We keep talking about handling adversity because they are definitely going to have adversity out there, and how they react to it will make a difference," Mann said. "They stuck to their process, they stayed focused and it paid off towards the end."
Florida leads the field at 8-over par after shooting 13-over-par 301 on the day. USC had the best round of the day, shooting 4-over to move into second place at 9-over par. Sierra Brooks of Florida leads all players at 6-under par after firing in a second-consecutive 69 on the day.
ROUND 2: The final round of the tournament picks up in a shotgun start at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday. Carolina will play alongside NC State and SMU, teeing off from holes 3-6. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com, you can follow @uncwomen's golf on twitter and a full recap will be available following the conclusion of the round.
TAR HEEL SCORES
T8 - Ava Bergner 72-73—145 (+1)
T12 - Brynn Walker 72-75—147 (+3)
T19 - Bryana Nguyen 73-76—149 (+5)
T26 - Kelly Whaley 75-75—150 (+6)
T73 - Mariana Ocano 80-79—159 (+15)
Team Totals 292-299—591, +15 (4th of 17 teams)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Florida 283-301—584 (+8)
2. USC 293-292—585 (+9)
3. Michigan State 284-304—588 (+12)
4. North Carolina 292-299—591 (+15)
5. NC State 294-298—592 (+16)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
1. Sierra Brooks (Florida) 69-69—138 (-6)
T2. Allyson Geer (Michigan State) 67-72—139 (-5)
T2. Jennifer Chang (USC) 70-69—139 (-5)
4. Elin Esborn (Florida) 71-72—143 (-1)
Players Mentioned
