2023-24 Women's Golf Roster
Kayla Smith
- Height:
- 5-10
- Class:
- Fifth Year
- Hometown:
- Burlington, N.C.
- High School:
- Walter M. Williams
Career: A two-time medalist, No. 2 in Carolina’s all-time stroke average and one of nine Tar Heels to earn All-ACC honors in multiple seasons (first since 2013) • Has the second-, third- and fifth-best single-season stroke averages in UNC history • Career average of 73.11 over 112 rounds, the best of any Tar Heel with at least 75 or 100 rounds • Shot par or better in 48 times with a low round of 65 as a fifth-year senior in the second round of the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Intercollegiate at the Governors Club in Chapel Hill • Medalist at Texas A&M in 2022-23 and the St Andrews Links Collegiate at the Jubilee Course • Nine top 10s and 19 top-20 finishes • Led UNC to four team titles (three in 2023-24) and a return to the NCAA Championship (in 2024) • Is 9-5 with one match unfinished in match play • Three-time WGCA All-America Scholar, 2023 Academic All-ACC and a member of the ACC Honor Roll three times.
2023-24: Second on the team in stroke average at 72.13 • That broke the previous single-season UNC record, which she co-shared at 73.00 • Led the team with 14 rounds below par • Tied for 28th in the NCAA Championship, shooting two rounds at or below par • Tied for fifth at 1-under 215 in the NCAA Auburn Regional, one of five top-10 finishes • Led UNC to three team titles in the St Andrews Links Collegiate, the UCF Challenge and NC State Match Play Invitational • Medalist at the Jubilee Course at St Andrews after rounds of 69-72 for a 2-under 142 • Led UNC to a 4-2 medal match play win over Vanderbilt on The Old Course • Won her individual match by two strokes • Won all three of her matches in the NC State Match Play • Tied UNC’s existing 18-hole record with a personal-best 65 in the second round of the Tar Heel at the Governors Club.
2022-23: Earned All-ACC honors for the second year in a row • Led UNC in scoring average (73.00), which tied Krista Junkkari’s single-season UNC record set in 2021-22 • Won the Texas A&M “MoMorial,” shooting 70-69-68 for a 9-under 207 • Tied the sixth-fewest strokes by a Tar Heel in a 54-hole tournament and was the fifth-best score to par in UNC history • Was one of two occasions all season when a Tar Heel shot under par in all three rounds • Led Carolina in percentage of rounds counted (.962), rounds in the 60s (5) and birdies (91) • Tied for eighth in the Ivy Intercollegiate at 1-over 145 and the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational at even-par 216 • Low round of 68 three times • Final-round 68 and a 5-under 211 in the MountainView Collegiate in Tucson • Was injured and forced to withdraw after the first round in the NCAA regional • Earned Academic All-ACC honors.
2021-22: Earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors • Stroke average of 73.04 was the second lowest in UNC history (one stroke and .04 behind teammate Krista Junkkari, who set the record last season) • Led UNC with 11 rounds at or below par • Finished in the top 20 in seven of her nine starts, including a career-best T8 at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Intercollegiate • Shot 71 or better six times in the final round • Averaged 71.67 in the final round • Shot 69-71-71 for a 5-under 211 at UNC Finley to tie for eighth • Was one of six players in the field to shoot under par in all three rounds • Shot 72-74-71 to tie for 11th at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional • Final-round 71 to tie for 19th at the ACC Championship • Shot 71-72-70 for a 3-under 213 to tie for 13th at the Clover Cup • Career-low 67 in the final round to finish 2-under 214 to tie for 15th at the Cougar Classic • Final-round 69 to finish 17th at the Moon Golf Invitational • Helped UNC beat Duke in the NC State Match Play with a 2&1 win over Anne Chen • WGCA All-American Scholar and a member of the ACC Honor Roll.
2020-21: Second on the team in stroke average at 75.83 • Played in four tournaments • Best finish was a tie for 28th at the ACC Championship, where she tied for UNC’s best finish • Low round of 71 in the opening round at the Moon Golf Invitational.
2019-20: Played in five events • Made her collegiate debut at the Mason Rudolph Championship, tying for 12th at 1-over 217 (73-70-74) • Matched her low round (70) at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational • Tied for 14th at the Moon Golf Invitational.
Amateur/Prep: Tied for second at the 2021 South Carolina Women’s Open • Played for coaches Mark Clapp and Jim Pappas at Walter M. Williams High School • Won the qualifier for the 2019 USGA Girls’ Junior Championship • Made the round of 32 in the 2019 UGSA Girls’ Juniors • Three-time all-state, including first-team in 2018 • Back-to-back top-five finishes at the Pinehurst North South Junior in 2018 and 2019 • Won the PKBGT Women’s Health Symetra Tour Qualifier in 2018 • Placed top 15 at both the Dustin Johnson World Junior and Scott Robertson Memorial tournaments in 2019 • Member of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society and National Latin Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta • Junior Marshal.
Personal: Kayla Renee Smith is the daughter of Rusty and Melinda Smith • Born Nov. 12, 2000, in Burlington, N.C. • Has a younger brother, Nicholas • Likes to play soccer and basketball, travel and photography • Favorite food is chocolate • Loves the beach • Enjoys any music except country, beat boxing and video editing • Plays the violin and guitar • Favorite non-golf athlete is soccer player Alex Morgan • Best competitive round is 6-under 65 in 2021 South Carolina Open at Cobblestone Park Golf Club in Blythewood, S.C. • Favorite course is Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. • Favorite golfer is Adam Scott • Best friends in golf are Jensen Castle (Kentucky) and Anna Morgan (Furman) • Go-to club is her 7 iron • Best shot was a hole-out eagle from 119 yards on the third hole at Pinehurst No. 2 in the 2023 North & South Amateur • Dream round includes Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam.
