North Carolina
Briar's Creek Invitational Day 2
Whaley Leads Tar Heels To Victory In Briar's Creek Invitational
March 20, 2018 | Women's Golf
JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. - The University of North Carolina shot 5-under par in the final round of the Briar's Creek Invitational Tuesday to finish at 16-under-par 848 and capture the 45th tournament title in program history. Junior Kelly Whaley shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish at 12-under-par 204 and win the individual title by five strokes.
The Tar Heels set a new Briar's Creek Invitational record for the lowest tournament total (848), and the score is also the second-lowest in UNC history.
"I'm certainly happy for Kelly to get the win and very happy for the team," head coach Jan Mann said. "I think it is a big confidence booster for them heading into the end of the regular season, which will be at Bryan Park, and then it's on to ACCs. We certainly knew they could put it together and do well on this golf course, and that was a strong showing for them."
Whaley's final score breaks her own UNC records for 54-hole tournament score and score vs. par, which she set in 2016 with an 11-under-par 205 score at the Cougar Classic. This is Whaley's second-career individual title, with the first also coming at the 2016 Cougar Classic. She is the first Tar Heel to win multiple tournament titles since Catherine O'Donnell (2009-12), and the title is the 49th all-time by a Tar Heel.
Whaley also finished each round in the 60s, becoming the first Tar Heel to ever accomplish the feat. She shot a 68 in round one, a 67 in round two and capped the tournament with a 69 in the final round. Whaley led the field in par-4 and par-5 scoring at 7-under and 9-under. She also finished with a tournament-best 19 birdies.
"Kelly can play with anybody," Mann said. "The difference for her, in my opinion, has been her confidence level, going out and believing in herself and when she has a bad shot, to not let it rattle her. She has done a much better job with that the last several tournaments, and the results show that."
Senior Bryana Nguyen also played one of her best tournaments as a Tar Heel, shooting a 71 in the final round Tuesday to claim the second top-five finish of her career. Nguyen was also the only Tar Heel to eagle during the tournament, doing so in the final round on No. 10.
Sophomore Mariana Ocano carded her third under-par round of the year Tuesday with a 71 to finish tied for 30th at 6-over par, and freshman Ava Bergner completed the final round scoring effort with an even-par 72 to finish tied for 14th at 2-over.
Sophomore Brynn Walker netted the first top-15 finish of her career, tying for 12th at 1-over par. She shot a 74 in the final round. Competing as an individual, junior Clementina Rodriguez tied for 36th at 7-over par.
Heading into the final round, the Tar Heels only held a one-stroke lead over Campbell. But for the second-straight round, Carolina finished with the best score of any team in the tournament at 5-under par to push ahead for the six-shot victory.
"It was definitely a very good tournament for us," Mann said. "To see everyone do well was great, and that's what we needed. Certainly for Kelly to get a win, for Bryana to come in fifth and Brynn to finish 12th - it was great to see all of them do well."
UP NEXT: The Tar Heels get a couple of weeks off before heading to the Brian National Collegiate in Browns Summit, N.C. at the Champions Course at Bryan Park from April 6-8. The tournament is the final regular-season competition for Carolina before the Tar Heels head to the ACC Championships (April 20-22) in Greensboro, N.C. Fans can follow @uncwomensgolf on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the season. UNC women's golf is also on Facebook.
TAR HEEL SCORES
1 - Kelly Whaley 68-67-69–204 (-12)
5 - Bryana Nguyen 74-68-71—213 (-3)
T12 - Brynn Walker 72-71-74—217 (+1)
T14 - Ava Bergner 72-74-72—218 (+2)
T30 - Mariana Ocano 78-73-71—222 (+6)
Team Totals: 286-279-283—848, -16 (1st of 17 teams)
(competing as an individual)
T36 - Clementina Rodriguez 75-74-74—223 (+7)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. North Carolina 286-279-283—848, (-16)
2. Campbell 282-284-288—854 (-10)
3. Illinois 293-286-288—867 (+3)
4. Penn State 294-290-294—878 (+14)
5. Texas Tech 293-286-303—882 (+18)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
1. Kelly Whaley (North Carolina) 68-67-69–204 (-12)
2. Desiree Andersson (Campbell) 73-64-72—209 (-7)
T3. Annelie Sjoholm (Campbell) 70-72-70–212 (-4)
T3. Malene Krolbll Hansen (Coastal Carolina) 69-71-72—212 (-4)
5. Bryana Nguyen (North Carolina) 74-68-71—213 (-3)
Players Mentioned
