Burlington native Kayla Smith birdied three of the final six holes Thursday at Mooresville Golf Club to cap a 4-under-par 68 and win The Carolinas Golf Association North Carolina Women’s Amateur by three strokes over Winston-Salem’s Macy Pate.
Smith, who recently finished her fifth season at the University of North Carolina with the school’s No. 2 all-time stroke-average record, finished 54 holes at 8-under 208. She birdied Nos. 13, 15 and 16 to pull away from second-round leader Pate, who rallied after making triple-bogey and bogey on her first two holes.
Pate, who recently completed her freshman season at Wake Forest, finished with 72 for a 211 total. Clemson’s Katherine Schuster of Kill Devil Hills was third at 214 with Virginia Tech’s Emily Mathews of Mebane in fourth at 215.
The tournament was dominated by college players and juniors. UNC Wilmington’s Mallory Fobes of East Bend, the defending champion, finished eighth at 221. High Point University’s Anna Howerson of Winston-Salem was 12th at 226.
