University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Day 1
Carolina Heads To Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
March 1, 2018 | Women's Golf
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - The University of North Carolina women's golf team heads its second tournament of the spring season Friday, the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. The tournament will be hosted by South Carolina in partnership with country music star Darius Rucker at the Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island, S.C., from March 2-4.
Coming off a sixth-place finish in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate to open the spring season, the Tar Heels will participate in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate for the seventh-straight season. The 54-hole tournament will play host to nine teams ranked in the Golfstat top-25, including 2017 NCAA Champion Arizona State, 2017 runner-up Northwestern and NCAA Championship participants Alabama, Baylor, Furman and UNC.
Individual talent on display over the weekend will be impressive as 13 of the Golfstat top-25 players will take the course - No. 2 Lauren Stephenson (Alabama), No. 5 Maria Fassi (Arkansas), No. 6 Kristen Gillman (Alabama), No. 7 Natalie Srinivasan (Furman), No. 9 Maddie McCrary (Oklahoma State), No. 10 Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest), No. 11 Linnea Strom (Arizona State), No. 13 Leona Maguire (Duke), No. 14. Dylan Kim (Arkansas), No. 15 Alana Uriell (Arkansas), No. 17 Olivia Mehaffey (Arizona State), No. 18 Emilia Migliaccio (Wake Forest) and No. 22 Ainhoa Olarra (South Carolina).
Last year at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Kelly Whaley and Lexi Harkins led the way for the Tar Heels, both finishing tied for 27th at 9-over par.
Carolina's best finishes in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate came in the inaugural 2012 tournament when the Tar Heels took second at 14-over par and Katherine Perry took third at 1-under par.
Fans can also follow @uncwomensgolf on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the tournament. UNC Women's Golf is also on Facebook. A recap and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
THE FIELD
Alabama (2), Arkansas (3), Arizona State (6), Auburn, Baylor, Duke (5), Furman (9), Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Northwestern (13), North Carolina (33), Oklahoma State (14), South Carolina (8), Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia (20), Wake Forest.
TAR HEEL STARTING FIVE
Carolina's starting five will be junior Kelly Whaley (Farmington, Conn.), sophomore Brynn Walker (St. David's, Pa.), freshman Ava Bergner (Ketsch, Germany), senior Bryana Nguyen (Columbia, Md.) and sophomore Mariana Ocano (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Junior Clementina Rodriguez (Caracas, Venezuela) will be competing as an individual.
THE TOURNAMENT VENUE
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate will be played at the Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The course has a par-71, 6160-yard set-up.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate is a 54-hole tournament with single rounds scheduled Friday (tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m.), Saturday (tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m.) and Sunday (tee times beginning at 8 a.m.).
The Tar Heels will tee off with No. 2 Alabama and Wake Forest Friday from hole 1 beginning at 9:20 a.m.
LIVE SCORING
Live results from the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate will be available at Golfstat.com
HEAD COACH JAN MANN - COMMENTS
On takeaways from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate
"It's a quick turnaround, but this first tournament gave us some indication of areas that we need to work on, and we have done some of that since being back. I think what really got us the third day at Tulane was our putting. And it wasn't all of a sudden they lost their stroke; they lost confidence in themselves, which can happen pretty quickly on the golf course. So, we've really worked on staying in the moment, believing in yourself, having a routine that is repeatable so that you're not thinking about the past or the future, that you're not focused on whether I am going to make this putt, just really focusing in on what you've got to do.
"I felt good about the first two days. We were in contention, and the third day we let it slip away, but I feel like going into this tournament that there is a level of confidence that they can compete against anybody. So, I'm looking forward to it."
On facing high-level teams
"We're not playing the teams. We are playing the golf course. If you start comparing yourselves to the other teams and where you stack up against the other teams, then you lose focus on what you really need to be focusing on - you against the golf course. No matter who you're playing, you're still playing the golf course."
On why she likes playing in this tournament
"It's just a well-designed golf course. I've looked at the weather, and I think on Thursday for the practice round and Friday for the first round, there will be 20-30mph winds, which will be very difficult. Some of the holes are right on the water, and not only will it be challenging, it will also probably be cold. I think we are going to have to prepare for that. It's a shot-makers golf course. You've got to think out there."
Players Mentioned
