Despite a score that was 19 shots worse that its sizzling
opening round, Duke increased its lead to eight shots Saturday after two rounds
of the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational at the University of North Carolina
Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The reigning two-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion
Blue Devils had opened with a 17-under 271 over the 6,379-yard, par-72 Finley
layout in Friday’s opening round, but backed off with a 2-over 290 Saturday for
a 15-under 561 total.
But the Finley layout seemed to play a lot tougher Saturday
and nobody was able to make a big move on the Blue Devils. Their ACC rival,
Virginia, remained in second place at 7-under 569 after adding a 4-over 292 to
its strong opening-round 277.
Reigning Southeast Conference champion Arkansas did sneak up
the leaderboard into third place as the Razorbacks added a 1-under 287 to their
opening round of 3-under 285 for a 4-under 572 total that left them just three
shots behind Virginia and 11 behind the front-running Blue Devils.
Another ACC power, Wake Forest, behind individual leader
Emilia Migliaccio, a sophomore from Cary, N.C., matched Arkansas for the low
round of the day, carding a 1-under 287 that got the Demon Deacons into fourth
place at even-par 576. They had opened with a 1-over 289.
South Carolina, which fell to Arkansas in the SEC’s
match-play title match last spring, matched par with a 288 and moved into fifth
place at 2-over 578. The Gamecocks had opened with a 2-over 290 Friday.
North Carolina and Brynn Walker, a two-time PIAA Class AAA
champion at Radnor, couldn’t make any headway on its home course as the Tar
Heels are tied for 10th in the loaded 18-team field with reigning
two-time Big Ten champion Michigan State at 17-over 563.
North Carolina improved by just a shot from its
opening-round 297 with an 8-over 296.
Duke was led by Virginia Elena Carta, a senior from Italy
who was the NCAA individual champion as a freshman in the spring of 2016. Carta
carded a 2-under 70 after opening with a 68 and is in second place in the
individual chase at 6-under 138, three shots behind Migliaccio.
Backing up Carta for Duke was Ana Belec, a junior from
Slovenia who cooled off a little from her opening-round 68 with an even-par 72
and is tied for sixth at 4-under 140.
Jaravee Boonchant, a sophomore from Thailand, had grabbed
the opening-round lead with a sizzling 6-under 66, but fell back with a 76. She
remained in the top 10 in the individual standings as her 2-under 142 left her
in the group tied for ninth.
Miranda Wang, a redshirt sophomore from China, also had a
4-over 76 after opening with a 69 and is in the group tied for 20th
at 1-over 145.
The Blue Devils got a big boost from freshman Gina Kim,
playing in her home town of Chapel Hill. Kim struggled in the opening round
with a 79, but matched par with a 72 Saturday to pick up the team. Her round
left her among the group tied for 56th at 151.
Migliaccio was part of a spectacularly talented freshman
class all over the country a year ago and she has picked up right where she left
off. On a day when many players in a field that includes Migliaccio’s teammate
Jennifer Kupcho, the reigning NCAA individual champion and the No. 1 player in
the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Arkansas’ Maria Fassi, the
reigning Annika Award winner, struggled, Migliaccio fired a 4-under 68, the low round of
the day. Combined with her opening-round 67, it left Migliaccio at 9-under 135,
three shots clear of Carta.
Kupcho had a 3-over 75 and is tied for 25th at
2-over 146 while Fassi creeped up the leaderboard with a 2-under 70 that left
her just outside the top 10 in the group tied for 11th at 1-under
143.
A talented trio of senior standouts that includes Virginia’s
Anna Redding of Concord, N.C., Arkansas’ Dylan Kim of Plano, Texas and Furman’s
Haylee Hanford of Leavittsburg, Ohio are tied for third at 5-under 139. Redding
and Kim each added a 1-under 71 to their respective opening rounds of 4-under
68 while Harford matched par with a 72 Saturday after opening with a 5-under
67.
Also in the tie for sixth with Duke’s Belac at 4-under 140
was South Carolina’s Lois Kaye Go, a junior from the Philippines. All systems
were Go for the Gamecock standout as she carded a 3-under 69 after opening with
a 71.
Arkansas’ Cara Gorlei, a senior from South Africa, is alone
in eighth place at 3-under 141. Gorlei matched par with a 72 after opening with
a 3-under 69.
North Carolina was led by Jennifer Zhou, a freshman from
China who added a 1-under 71 to her opening round of 73 and is in the group
tied for 15th at even-par 144.
Senior leader Kelly Whaley of Farmington, Conn. added a 74
to her opening-round 72 and is in the group tied for 25th at 2-over
146. Zhou’s fellow freshman, Nicole Lu of Taiwan, added a 73 to her
opening-round 74 and is in the group tied for 32nd at 3-over 147.
Walker, who plays out of St. Davids Golf Club, continued to
struggle on her college home course, carding a second straight 78 that left her among
the group tied for 76th at 156. Rounding out the North Carolina lineup
was Mariana Ocano, a junior from St. Petersburg, Fla. who added a 79 to her
opening-round 78 and is tied for 78th at 157.
Ava Bergner, a sophomore from Germany, is competing as an
individual. She carded a solid 1-over 73 after opening with a 75 and is among
the group tied for 40th at 4-over 148 as she makes her bid to return
to North Carolina’s first five.
Also competing as individuals for North Carolina were
Rashnee Sharma, a junior from Charlotte, N.C. who is among the group tied for 91st
at 160 after a second straight 80, and
Clementina Rodriguez, a senior from Venezuela who is in 96th place
at 176 after posting an 81.
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