Senior Kayla Smith won the UNC women’s golf program’s first individual tournament title in more than four years Wednesday, claiming first place in the Texas A&M “Mo”Morial in Bryan, TX. The team finished third overall at four-under par.
Senior Kayla Smith is UNC's first medalist since Kelly Whaley in 2018. Smith shot 70-69-68 to win the Texas A&M "Mo"Morial by a stroke for her first collegiate title. pic.twitter.com/uVJQmRwHbL
— UNC Women's Golf (@uncwomensgolf) September 21, 2022
“This was a long time coming for sure. I’m pretty pumped,” Smith said. “I hit the ball really well all week and yesterday I made a few putts coming in so that gave me a chance.”
Smith, who shot nine-under par over 54 holes, was one of three Tar Heels to shoot below par. Krista Junkkari and Crista Izuzquiza shot four-under and three-under, respectively. Izuzquiza’s final-round 69 was a career best, while Junkkari shot a 68 on the final day and finished fifth. It’s the first time since 2017 that two Tar Heels finished in the top five of a tournament.
It was all part of a red-hot final 36 holes for the team, which tied for the best round on Day 2 and then stood alone with the best round on Day 3, shooting eight-under both times.
“We were 16 under par the last two rounds which shows how good we can be,” said head coach Aimee Neff. “I’m really proud of the way they responded to yesterday’s first round. To travel two weeks in a row and play so well on a course they had never seen before is pretty remarkable. It should give us a lot of encouragement for the rest of the season.”
Carolina was one of just four teams in the 14-team field to finish below par, along with Florida, Texas and Texas A&M, who won the tournament. It’s UNC’s best showing in a tournament since March of 2019.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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