University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UNCG Grandover Collegiate Day 2
Northwestern Rallies to Edge Tar Heels
October 29, 2017 | Men's Golf
UNC, Griffin Second at UNCG Grandover
Northwestern shot 2-under-par in the final round to rally for a two-shot win over the University of North Carolina in the UNCG Grandover Collegiate played at the Grandover Resort East Course.
Carolina shot 5-over 293 in the final round to finish second, four strokes ahead of Duke and 15 ahead of NC State, which placed fourth.
"We didn't play our best today and it cost us the tournament," says Tar Heel head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "College golf is a long season and we'll continue to learn from days like today."
Northwestern's Dylan Wu won medalist honors at 7 under. Carolina's Ben Griffin shot 71 for the third time in as many rounds to finish second at -3. The Chapel Hill native birdied the first two holes on Sunday and was 1-under through eight holes, then made pars on his last 10 holes.
The Tar Heels held a four-stroke lead over Duke and a five-shot advantage over Northwestern after Saturday's first two rounds. Ryan Lumsden shot a 69 Sunday to lead the Wildcats, who also counted Wu's 70, a 72 and a 75.
Griffin and William Register each shot 71 today. Austin Hitt added a 74 and Preyer Fountain also counted with a 77. Jose Montaño, who finished the 54-hole event tied for 11th place, closed with a final round 80.
UNC freshman Ryan Gerard played as an individual and posted UNC's best score of the day with a 70. Gerard also tied for 11th in the final individual standings. The Raleigh native birdied the fourth and sixth holes and parred the other 16. His was the only round by a Tar Heel in the tournament without a bogey.
The Tar Heels and Wildcats traded the lead down the stretch. Northwestern finished ahead of UNC with both teams at 9 over, but Carolina posted a pair of bogeys on the first hole (shotgun start) to finish two shots behind at +11.
The UNCG Grandover Collegiate was Carolina's fifth and final event of the fall schedule.
"Our fall season was solid," says DiBitetto. "There have been some highs, we've broken some program records and there's also been some hiccups along the way. We have a lot of information to discuss with each individual and as a team. We'll take the information, the good and the bad, and work hard during the winter to better ourselves. What Coach (Matt) Clark and I love about this group of guys is they are hungry and they are also willing to listen, learn, and grow."
