Women's Golf At Michigan State To Start Season

Sunday, September 17

East Lansing, Mich. (Forest Akers West)

All Day

North Carolina

Mary Fossum Invitational Day One

Kayla Smith
Greensboro, NC – Apr 13: NCAA Women's Golf - ACC Women’s Golf Championship - Day 1 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC on April 13, 2023. (Credit: Andy Mead/YCJ)

Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ

September 15, 2023 | Women's Golf

First of Four Fall Tournaments

By: Steve Kirschner

The Tar Heel women's golf team begins play this season September 17-18 in East Lansing, Mich., in the Mary Fossum Invitational.

Carolina's lineup in the season-opening event includes a fifth-year senior, a senior, a sophomore and two freshmen as the Tar Heels return to play at the alma mater of third-year head coach Aimee Neff.

Neff played for the Spartans from 2007-11, earning All-Big Ten honors four times, and was an assistant coach at MSU from 2013-16.

Two-time All-ACC honoree Kayla Smith leads the Tar Heels. The Burlington, N.C., native will be teeing it up in her 29^th career start for UNC as the school's all-time leader in stroke average at 73.50. Last year, Smith won her first collegiate title at Texas A&M and tied UNC's single-season scoring record at 73.00.

Senior Crista Izuzquiza (Madrid, Spain) played her best golf as a Tar Heel a year ago, shooting in the 60s four times in the final round of tournaments, including a 66 in the third round of the ACC Championship. That 66 tied the second-best round ever by a Tar Heel in the conference championship.

Sophomore Megan Streicher (Cape Town, South Africa) set the UNC freshman scoring record a year ago, averaging 73.33 over 33 rounds in 11 tournaments. Streicher had Carolina's best finish in four of the team's last five starts, including a tie for 12^th in the ACC Championship and a 7-under 209 for 12^th place in the NCAA Pullman Regional.

A pair of freshmen are making their collegiate debuts this week. Ing Iadpluem comes to Chapel Hill from New Zealand and Reagan Southerland, the 2023 Georgia Women's Amateur champion, arrives from Alpharetta, Ga. Southerland attended the Rivers Academy, the same school as UNC men's golfers David and Maxwell Ford.

Junior Riley Quartermain (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), who played in six tournaments a year ago and shot 70 in the final round of the Pullman Regional, is playing at Michigan State as an individual entry.

"Both of our freshmen should have an impact on the program and with both qualifying for spots in the first tournament, that's a good sign," says Neff, who has led UNC to NCAA regional appearances in each of her two seasons as head coach. "We have a little more depth this year. That competitiveness from top to bottom should make us better as any one of the nine on our roster have a legitimate shot of playing.

"Kayla (Smith) returning for a fifth year after back-to-back All-ACC honors is really good for us. She knows what it takes to win and is such a gamer. Megan (Streicher) had a strong spring season in her freshman year, and she's just getting started and has what it takes to win in college, too.

"We returned everyone who played in the regional last year. CC (Izuzquiza) has improved each year and Inez (Ng) finished in the top 20 at regionals. This team has shown a lot of good effort as we have started the year and have been working hard in preparation for the season."

The host Spartans won the Mary Fossum Invitational in 2019, the most recent year the tournament was played. This year's field also includes Grand Valley State, Kent State, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oakland, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, Toledo and Virginia Tech.

"I am looking forward to getting the season started in East Lansing," says Neff. "Michigan State is a regional site this season, and we try and play at regional sites when we can to help us prepare for postseason."

The Mary Fossum Invitational is the first of four fall events for the Tar Heels. They have a quick turnaround with Vanderbilt's Mason Rudolph Championship on September 22-24 in Nashville.

On October 9-10, Carolina hosts the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational. With the year-long renovations at Finley Golf Club in its final stages, UNC is once again hosting the Ruth's Chris at the Governors Club in Chapel Hill.

Finally, the Tar Heels are one of four teams playing in the first St Andrews Links Collegiate October 23-25 in Scotland. UNC, Georgetown, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt will play two days of stroke play at the Jubilee Course and match play on the 25^th at the Old Course.

"To be hosting the Ruth's Chris again thanks to Mike O'Donnell and his family is something we look forward to every year," says Neff. "Of course, having the unique opportunity to play in the inaugural college golf tournament at St. Andrews will be a special way to end the fall season."