2022-23 Women's Golf Roster
Krista Junkkari
- Height:
- 6-1
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Elimäki, Finland
- High School:
- Elimäki Upper Secondary School
Career: Fourth in UNC history in stroke average at 73.89 over 82 rounds • Team counter in 75 of 82 rounds • Shot at or below par 31 times with 10 rounds in the 60s • Has a share of the lowest stroke average by a Tar Heel in one season (73.00 in 2021-22) and the sixth lowest (73.32 in 2022-23) • Won once (co-medalist at the Ivy Intercollegiate at Baltusrol as a senior) and was runner-up as a junior at the Cougar Classic in Charleston • Played in 28 tournaments • Two-time member of the Academic All-ACC team.
2022-23: Averaged 73.32 strokes over 25 rounds in nine starts • The sixth-lowest average in UNC single-season history • Co-medalist and led UNC to the team title in the 36-hole Ivy Intercollegiate at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. • Shot 72-69 for a 3-under 141 at Baltusrol • Shot 4-under 68 to finish T5 at 5-under 211 at the Texas A&M “Mo”Morial • Shot even par over five tournaments in the fall • Season-low 67 in the first round in the Landfall Tradition • Had one of the 10-highest grade point averages among nearly 800 student-athletes at Carolina • Earned Academic All-ACC honors.
2021-22: Set the single-season UNC stroke average record at 73.00 over 27 rounds • Led UNC with 77 birdies and six rounds in the 60s • Earned ACC Player-of-the-Month honors in September after finishing second at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C. • Shot 65-67-72 for a 12-under 204 to set and tie several UNC records at the Cougar Classic • Opening-round 65 was the lowest in UNC history and followed that with a 67 to set the 36-hole record (132) as well • Tied 54-hole UNC records at 12 under par and 204 total • Four top-20 finishes, including three straight to end the season (T-19 at the Clover Cup, T-13 in the ACC Championship and T-16 in the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional) • Went 3-0 in the NC State Match Play vs. Duke, NC State and South Carolina • Shot 70-68 in the first two rounds at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Intercollegiate and 69-70 over the first 36 holes at the ACC Championship.
2020-21: Fourth on the team in stroke average at 76.42 in 12 rounds over four tournaments • Low round of 70 at the Moon Golf Invitational and the Briar’s Creek Invitational • Tied for 13th at 5-over 221 at Briar’s Creek.
2019-20: Competed in all six events • Made her collegiate debut at the Cougar Classic, tying for 12th with a 3-under 213 (70-71-72) • Shot even-par 216 at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, which included a 71 in the second round.
Amateur/Prep: Shot 66 playing for Team Finland in third round of the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship at Le Golf National near Paris • Finished first in the 2017 Finnish Junior U18 Match Play, 2018 Finnish Stroke Play U18 Championship and the 2018 Finnish Junior Tour Final • Ninth at the 2018 Amateur Open Championship • Tied for first in the 2019 European Women’s Amateur after a five-hole playoff • Played for Coach Tommi Henttu at Elimäki High School.
Personal: Born Krista Martta Magdalena Junkkari on May 2, 2000, in Kouvola, Finland • Daughter of the late Martti Junkkari and Maria Tigerstedt • Has three older siblings, Camilla Pynninen-Kangas, Kennet Pynninen and Carl Junkkari • Favorite food is lasagna • Enjoys making bead jewelry • Played the piano as a child • Favorite non-golfer athlete is Finnish hurdler Noora-Lotta Neziri • Greatest golf achievement was becoming Finnish champion and a European silver medalist in consecutive weeks in 2019 • Won the Finnish title with a record-setting 10-under total • Then shot 7 under and played in playoff for the Ladies European Championship • Favorite course is Royal County Down, Northern Ireland, New Castle • Favorite golfer is Rory McIlroy • Go-to club is her 8 iron • Best shot was a 20-foot downhill breaking putt to make a par on the 17th hole of the final round in the 2019 European Ladies Championship to force a playoff • Dream round includes McIlroy, Nelly Korda and Matilda Castren.
