In the UNC women's golf team's second consecutive weekend on the road, sophomore Inez Ng and first-year Reagan Southerland led the way for a strong Tar Heel finish — a strong indicator of this team's depth.
North Carolina women competed in the Mason Rudolph Championship over the weekend, finishing in sixth place at 10-under-par after the completion of the three-day tournament. The event was hosted by Vanderbilt University and saw a total of 18 teams competing at the par 72 course in Franklin, Tenn. Ng and Southerland were the top finishers for the Tar Heels, tying for 16th.
“One of the things that was really positive was knowing that our player [Kayla Smith] who was all-ACC the last few years, a fifth-year senior for us, she was steady but she was our [fifth-placing] player," head coach Aimee Neff said, later adding, "It was a good sign from a youth standpoint that we have some good talent in our underclassmen as well.”
Izuzquiza and Southerland lead Tar Heels in first round
The Tar Heels got off to a strong start in the first round on Friday, with senior Crista Izuzquiza and Southerland finishing the day tied for first place at 2-under-par each. This, along with an even-par showing from Smith, put UNC in first place early in the day.
“I think we got out the gate pretty well," head coach Aimee Neff said. "I feel like we had a good game plan and [knew] where we wanted to be on the greens.”
Southerland and Izuzquiza dropped from first place later in the first day. Still, they remained the highest-placing Tar Heels, finishing at 3-under and 2-under, respectively. Ng finished 1-under, sophomore Megan Steicher ended even, and Smith finished one stroke over par.
By Friday's end, UNC was locked in a tie with Ole Miss for fifth place at 6-under 282.
