Michigan
Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational
Borja's Career Weekend Leads Wolverines to Finish Seventh at Tar Heel Invitational
10/17/2021 5:07:00 PM | Women's Golf
» With a final round 296 team total, Michigan closed seventh with a 868 (+2) tally at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational played at the Finley Golf Course.
» With a career-best 210 (-6) total, Hailey Borja tied for third -- giving her three straight top-15 finishes to start the season. She tied her career-low single-round tally with a 68 (-4) in the second round.
» With a closed 72 (E), Ashley Lau tied for 29th at 217 (70-75-72, +1), while Monet Chun tied for 35th at 218 (72-72-74, +2).
» For a second straight event, U-M played with several of the top teams in the nation with 12 of the 19 teams ranked among the top 50.
Site: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Course: Finley Golf Course (Par 72, 6,393 yards)
Tournament: Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational (Day 3 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: 7th Place of 19 Teams (285-285-296/868, +2)
Top U-M Individual: Hailey Borja, t-3rd (71-68-71/210, -6)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., Oct. 29-31 -- at Landfall Tradition (Wilmington, N.C.)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Paced by a career-best weekend from junior Hailey Borja, the ninth-ranked University of Michigan women's golf team posted a two-over-par 868 54-hole total to finish seventh in the top-tier 19-team field at the Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational held at UNC's Finley Golf Course.
With 12 of the 19 teams ranked among the top 50 in the nation, the Wolverines began its second straight fall event playing with some of the nation's top programs. In Friday's (Oct. 15) opening round, senior Ashley Lau's 70 (-2), Borja's 71 (-1) and a pair of even-par 72s from sophomore Monet Chun and Anika Dy helped the Maize and Blue post one of eight sub-par team totals with a 285 (-3) to finish the day tied for fourth.
Recording five birdies for a second straight day and carding a career-low-tying 68 (-4) Borja paced the Wolverines in Saturday's (Oct. 16) second round. Adding in two more even-par 72s from Chun and Dy, U-M repeated its opening 285 (-3) to remain fourth by itself with a 570 (-6) total after day two.
With a challenging final-round setup and strong winds on Sunday (Oct. 17), scoring was up across the field, but Borja made it three straight sub-par rounds with her 71 (-1), while Lau carded an even-par 72 to help U-M close with a 296 and a three-day total of 868 -- its third straight top 10 of the fall.
"We had two really solid days of golf as a team," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "When you play in these great fields, you cannot afford an off day and expect to be on top at the end. Our great play got us in the final pairing and as competitors there is simply nothing better. To be competing against the best teams and players is exactly where we belong and strive for every week. We're excited to build off the patient play and mature decision making and preparation as we head into the final event of the fall."
However, the weekend belonged to Borja, who posted her third straight top-15 individual finish and second top-five this fall. With those three sub-par rounds, including that career-best-tying 68 (-4) in the second round, she posted a career-best 210 (-6) to tie for third in the 96 player field.
The total was five shots lower than her prior best of 215, which she carded in the season-opening Wolverine Invitational. Her 210 tied her for the third-lowest 54-hole total in program history and her 13 birdies this weekend tied for the third most in the field.
"I came into the weekend very confident about my game and made sure I was having fun on the course this weekend," said Borja. "On top of that, I made sure I stayed patient on the course, made clear decisions and picked small targets."
"Hailey really had a tremendous week," said Dowling. "She's always a very good ball striker and the soft greens allowed her to be aggressive. Boy, did she capitalize. The team is excited for her, and that kind of play is contagious."
Lau followed Borja, tying for 29th with a 217 (+1) total. After leading U-M with her opening 70 (-2), she slipped in the second round with a 75, only to recover with a final-round 72 (E). After leading the field with 44 pars, Chun tied for 35th with a 218 (+2). Dy (73-73-81) and junior Mikaela Schulz (73-73-79) rounded out U-M's starting-five finishers as they both tied for 64th at 225.
The Wolverines will close their fall season heading back to North Carolina as they head to Wilmington, Friday through Sunday (Oct. 29-31), for UNC-Wilmington's Landfall Tradition. The three-day, 54-hole event will be played at the Country Club of Landfall.
Final Team Standings
1. Wake Forest 283-277-287 = 847 (-17) 2. Clemson 285-280-292 = 857 3. Virginia Tech 282-282-295 = 859 4. Alabama 286-287-289 = 862 5. Kentucky 284-290-289 = 863 Duke 286-287-290 = 863 7. MICHIGAN 285-285-296 = 866 8. Mississippi State 293-284-291 = 868 9. North Carolina 289-288-293 = 870 Vanderbilt 286-287-297 = 870 11. Furman 290-295-286 = 871 12. Michigan State 296-285-292 = 873 13. Maryland 299-291-285 = 875 14. N.C. State 295-293-288 = 876 15. Ohio State 298-291-289 = 878 16. SMU 297-294-298 = 889 17. UNC-Wilmington 295-293-302 = 890 18. Rollins College 301-295-303 = 899 19. North Carolina 'B' 300-309-318 = 927
Top Individuals
1. Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest 70-63-72 = 205 (-11) 2. Erica Shepherd, Duke 66-70-70 = 206 3. HAILEY BORJA, U-M 71-68-71 = 210 Becca DiNunzio, Virginia Tech 73-66-71 = 210 Benedetta Moresco, Alabama 68-72-70 = 210 Ivy Shepherd, Clemson 72-69-69 = 210 Melena Barrientos, Clemson 70-66-74 = 210 8. Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State 71-70-70 = 211 Emily Mahar, Virginia Tech 69-70-72 = 211 Kayla Smith, North Carolina 69-71-71 = 211 Polly Mack, Alabama 72-69-70 = 211 Anna Morgan, Furman 71-71-69 = 211
Other Michigan Individuals
T29. Ashley Lau 70-75-72 = 217 (+1) T35. Monet Chun 72-72-74 = 218 (+2) T64. Mikaela Schulz 73-73-79 = 225 T64. Anika Dy 72-72-81 = 225
