A season-low final round of 71 from 2014 All-ACC performer Elizabeth Mallett capped off a successful fall season for the North Carolina women's golf team at the 14th annual Landfall Tradition in Wilmington.
Buoyed by consecutive late back nine birdies, Mallet finished at 1-under-par on Sunday and joined teammate Leslie Cloots in a tie for 47th place. Mallett — the senior leader from Sutton Coldfield, England — paced the Tar Heels with four birdies in Sunday's final round.
Flashing its potential after a sluggish start on Friday, Coach Jan Mann's squad responded by lowering its team score each day over the weekend. Steady play by all five starters on Sunday netted an 18-stroke improvement from the first round and vaulted the Tar Heels into 14th place.
Lexi Harkins made a clutch birdie on the 18th hole to finish with a solid even par 72, and Bryana Nguyen and Kelly Whaley shot 1- and 2-over-par, respectively. Cloots managed a 75 and finished at 10-over-par for the tournament with Mallet.
With the conclusion of the fall preseason, the Tar Heels will be off for three months before returning to regular season play in February.
Quotable
“Once again we play in very strong tournaments, but our goal is obviously for every girl to give 100 percent every day. And if they give us that, and if they work hard and are determined, do the things that we ask them to do, then I feel like we can be extremely competitive in the spring.” — Mann said on her team's prospects in the spring.
Notable
Mallet, a senior, shot her best round of 2015 in the third round of the final tournament of her final fall season.
