Oct. 9, 2011
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AUBURN - Auburn sophomore Marta Sanz carded five birdies in the final round of the Tar Heel Invitational Sunday, propelling her into first place and her first career individual victory. Sanz posted a final-round 68, finishing the tournament with a three-day total of 9-under 207 for the one-stroke lead.
As a team, the No. 2/16-ranked Tigers carded their best round of the tournament, a 4-under 284, to move into third place at 3-under 861. Auburn finished just five strokes behind tournament champion LSU (856) and one stroke behind runner-up Alabama (860).
"I was very pleased, the one thing I wanted was consistency and we got that this week," said Auburn head coach Kim Evans. "We have a sturdy team and they stayed in it, moving up every day. I couldn't ask for much more."
Hosted by the University of North Carolina, the Tar Heel Invitational was a 54-hole stroke play tournament played on the UNC Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C. The par-72 course played at 6,285 yards for the tournament. The 18-team tournament featured 12 teams ranked in the top 25.
For the Tigers, it marks the second tournament in a row to come away with the individual champion. Junior Carlie Yadloczky won the individual title at the season-opening Texas A&M "Mo" Morial. It marks the first time since 2006 for two different Auburn players to win individual titles in a season.
"The team stepped up big today. Haley Wilson played solid all day long and Victoria Trapani really stepped up," said Evans. "And Marta played about as good of golf as I have seen anyone play. She was on it this weekend and was spectacular."
Three Auburn golfers recorded scores under par Sunday, led by Sanz's 68. She carded 16 birdies during the tournament, finishing under par each day with rounds of 69-70-68--207. Her 9-under 207 is tied for the second-lowest 54-hole score in Auburn history and is the lowest since former Tiger Nicole Hage notched a 207 at the 2007 NCAA East Regional.
"I still don't believe that it happened, it feels awesome," said Sanz. "This is the best I have felt after any tournament. I was striking the ball perfectly this week and my mindset was pretty good. The birdies were going in and everything worked out."
Also scoring under par on Sunday were senior Haley Wilson and freshman Victoria Trapani with 1-under-par 71s. Wilson finished the tournament with rounds of 73-72-71--216, finishing 14th at even-par. Trapani and Yadloczky finished the tournament in a tie for 21st with 3-over 219s. Trapani recorded a tournament-total 73-75-71--219 while Yadloczky came in at 72-73-74--219.
Rounding out the Auburn lineup was freshman Nicole Quinn in a tie for 64th. She carded a final-round 74 to finish the tournament at 10-over 226.
In the team race, it was the Southeastern Conference trio of LSU, Alabama and Auburn at the top. Host North Carolina took fourth with a 2-under 862, just one stroke behind Auburn, while North Carolina State rounded out the top five with a 5-over 869. Tennessee and Georgia tied for sixth with 6-over 870s while Michigan State and Wake Forest tied for eighth with 13-over 877s. Duke came in 10th overall with a 15-over 879.
Individually, Sanz took the win at 9-under 207, finishing one stroke ahead of North Carolina State's Augusta James, Alabama's Brooke Pancake and Michigan State's Caroline Powers at 8-under 208. LSU's Madelene Sagstrom and Wake Forest's Cheyenne Woods tied for fifth with 7-under 209s.
The Tar Heel Invitational was the first of three events for Auburn in October. The Tigers will return to the course Oct. 21-23 at the Pac 12/SEC Challenge at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Final results from the Tar Heel Invitational hosted by North Carolina at the Finley Golf Course. Par: 72. Yardage: 6,285.
TEAM RESULTS
1 - LSU - 284-285-287--856 (-8)
2 - Alabama - 281-288-291--860 (-4)
3 - Auburn - 287290-284--861 (-3)
4 - North Carolina - 290-286-286--862 (-2)
5 - North Carolina State - 291-289-289--869 (+5)
T6 - Tennessee - 293-290-287--870 (+6)
T6 - Georgia - 295-286-289--870 (+6)
T8 - Michigan State - 291-291-295--877 (+13)
T8 - Wake Forest - 284-297-296--877 (+13)
10 - Duke - 298-287-294--879 (+15)
11 - South Carolina - 289-299-294--882 (+18)
T12 - Louisville - 296-296-292--884 (+20)
T12 - Virginia - 297-297-295--884 (+20)
14 - Tulane - 295-300-293--888 (+24)
15 - Arkansas - 300-302-288--890 (+26)
16 - Tennessee-Chattanooga - 307-297-293--897 (+33)
17 - Coastal Carolina - 304-296-301--901 (+37)
18 - Notre Dame - 307-305-297--909 (+45)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1 - Marta Sanz - 69-70-68--207 (-9)
14 - Haley Wilson - 73-72-71--216 (E)
T21 - Carlie Yadloczky - 72-73-74--219 (+3)
T21 - Victoria Trapani - 73-75-71--219 (+3)
T64 - Nicole Quinn - 74-78-74--226 (+10)