The Orange women’s golf team is off to the best start in school history. Last Thursday, the Lady Panthers finished first overall in a meet at the Golf Club at Chapel Hill in Pittsboro. Orange finished tied with East Chapel Hill for the lead with 139 strokes. Senior Gianni Burnette became the first Orange golfer in school history to finish first individually overall in a tournament, recording a 39 over the first nine holes. She beat East Chapel Hill’s Isabella Shen by three strokes. Orange junior Grace Dunlap finished fifth overall with a 48. In each of Orange’s first four matches, they have had the highest finish among Big 7 Conference teams. On Monday, Orange finished tops among conference teams and third overall during a home meet at Occonceechee Golf Course in Hillsborough. Burnette finished second in the individual standings with a 42. She finished the highest among Big 7 Conference players, beating out Annika Johansson of Seaforth, who carded a 46. Orange junior Madison Edwards carded a 48 while Dunlap finished with a 51. When Burnette played at Orange two years ago, there were three players on the team. This year, there are 13. Orange will look to continue momentum when they compete in a meet at The Golf Club at Chapel Ridge on Wednesday, hosted by Carrboro High School.
