Women's Golf ACC Championship Begins Thursday

Thursday, April 14

Pawley's Island, S.C. (The Reserve G.C.)

All Day

North Carolina

ACC Championship Day One

April 13, 2022 | Women's Golf

Tar Heels Return 4 Starters from '21 ACC Tournament

By: Steve Kirschner

The 2022 ACC Women's Golf Championship begins play Thursday at The Reserve Golf Club in Pawley's Island, S.C.

The Tar Heels are the No. 8 seed and are paired with Louisville and Miami in Thursday's first two rounds of stroke play. The third round is Friday, following which the top four teams will advance to match play.

The semifinals begin Saturday at 9 a.m. with the championship match Sunday at 9 a.m. The semifinal and championship matches will be shown on ACC Network Extra. A recap show will air on the ACC Network on April 25 at 7 p.m.

Carolina is competing for the first time in stroke play since March 11-13, when it finished tied for seventh in a 17-team field in the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz.

Less than two weeks ago the Tar Heels defeated Duke and NC State and lost to South Carolina in the NC State Match Play in Raleigh.

Junior Krista Junkkari won all three of her matches at NC State. She leads UNC in stroke average this season at 72.95.

Junkkari is joined in the Carolina lineup this week by junior Kayla Smith and sophomores Natalia Aseguinolaza, Crista Izuzquiza and Nicole Adam. Freshman Riley Quartermain also qualified for the alternate spot in the lineup.

Smith and Izuzquiza went 2-1 in match play in Raleigh. Smith has five top-20 finishes this season, including a tie for eighth at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational.

Carolina is looking to win its third ACC championship and first since 2011. The Tar Heels return four of the five starters who competed in the 2021 ACC Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Junkkari is the only addition to the lineup.

Smith tied for 28^th place last year at 9-over 225.