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University of North Carolina Athletics
2017-18 Seniors William Register, Ben Griffin and Jose Montaño with Head Coach Andrew DiBitetto and Asst. Coach Matt Clark
Men's Golf Opens At Olympia Fields
September 14, 2017 | Men's Golf
Experienced Lineup Ready For Season's First Test
Carolina opens the 2017-18 men's golf season with a stern test against a nationally-competitive field when the Tar Heels travel to Illinois for the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational.
The 54-hole event is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 15-17, at the Olympia Fields Country Club, which is located 25 miles south of Chicago and has hosted U.S. Opens in 1928 and 2003 and a pair of PGA Championships.
Andrew DiBitetto is in his seventh year in Chapel Hill; he was elevated to head coach this past July after six seasons on staff and the past three as the associate head coach. DiBitetto is assisted by Matt Clark, who was the head coach at UNCW for the past nine seasons.
"We're excited to get going with our season," says DiBitetto. "We've had some productive weeks at home and are ready for our first test of the year. Playing Olympia Fields and competing with some of the very best teams in the country is something our guys are looking forward to. It's an opportunity and it's a great way to start the year."
Carolina tied for 18th at the 2017 NCAA Championships, the first time UNC advanced to the second week of NCAA Tournament play since 2007. Four starters return from the quintet that advanced out of the NCAA Stanford Regional and participated at the NCAA Championship in Sugar Grove, Ill.
DiBitetto brings an experienced lineup to Olympia Fields. The Tar Heels will start three seniors and two juniors in the season-opening event.
Two-time honorable mention All-America Ben Griffin (Chapel Hill) led fall qualifying by a wide margin after tying the UNC Finley Course record with a 62. Griffin was in a four-way playoff in the 2017 ACC Championship and tied for 11th at the NCAA Championship. He shot under par in each of his last four tournaments and shot in the 60s in six of his final 14 rounds a year ago.
Seniors Jose Montaño (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and William Register (Burlington) and juniors Preyer Fountain (Raleigh) and Joshua Martin (Pinehurst) join Griffin in the lineup.
Montaño was second on the team in stroke average last year (72.81 behind Griffin's 72.39), won the Elon Phoenix Invitational for his third collegiate victory and shot 68-69 over the final two rounds in the NCAA Stanford Regional.
Register is in a virtual tie with Griffin for the second-lowest career stroke average in Carolina men's golf history at 72.37. Griffin has played in 36 collegiate tournaments; Montaño and Register both have played in 35.
Fountain will be making his fourth career start for the Tar Heels. He was in the UNC lineup twice last year – at Duke and Puerto Rico.
Martin started all 11 events as a freshman and posted top-10 finishes in the first three tournaments last fall.
The OFCC/Fighting Illini will be played on the 7,353-yard, par 70 North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club.
"Olympia Fields is a demanding golf course," says DiBitetto. "It's also a course that provides learning. We'll get a very good sense of where our golf games are after this week, which will be beneficial for the future. Olympia Fields is also a golf course we have seen before and have handled well. We know our games and minds need to be sharp this week."
Thirteen of the 15 teams are ranked or received votes in the Golfweek Bushnell Preseason Coaches Poll, including No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Illinois, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 USC, No. 12 UNLV, No. 14 Stanford, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 19 Alabama and No. 20 Florida State. Carolina, Cal, Northwestern received votes and Indiana and Navy complete the field.
The Illini shot 274-280-291=845 (+5) to win last fall. Texas A&M's Cameron Champ was the medalist with a 5-under 205.
The 54-hole event is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 15-17, at the Olympia Fields Country Club, which is located 25 miles south of Chicago and has hosted U.S. Opens in 1928 and 2003 and a pair of PGA Championships.
Andrew DiBitetto is in his seventh year in Chapel Hill; he was elevated to head coach this past July after six seasons on staff and the past three as the associate head coach. DiBitetto is assisted by Matt Clark, who was the head coach at UNCW for the past nine seasons.
"We're excited to get going with our season," says DiBitetto. "We've had some productive weeks at home and are ready for our first test of the year. Playing Olympia Fields and competing with some of the very best teams in the country is something our guys are looking forward to. It's an opportunity and it's a great way to start the year."
Carolina tied for 18th at the 2017 NCAA Championships, the first time UNC advanced to the second week of NCAA Tournament play since 2007. Four starters return from the quintet that advanced out of the NCAA Stanford Regional and participated at the NCAA Championship in Sugar Grove, Ill.
DiBitetto brings an experienced lineup to Olympia Fields. The Tar Heels will start three seniors and two juniors in the season-opening event.
Two-time honorable mention All-America Ben Griffin (Chapel Hill) led fall qualifying by a wide margin after tying the UNC Finley Course record with a 62. Griffin was in a four-way playoff in the 2017 ACC Championship and tied for 11th at the NCAA Championship. He shot under par in each of his last four tournaments and shot in the 60s in six of his final 14 rounds a year ago.
Seniors Jose Montaño (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and William Register (Burlington) and juniors Preyer Fountain (Raleigh) and Joshua Martin (Pinehurst) join Griffin in the lineup.
Montaño was second on the team in stroke average last year (72.81 behind Griffin's 72.39), won the Elon Phoenix Invitational for his third collegiate victory and shot 68-69 over the final two rounds in the NCAA Stanford Regional.
Register is in a virtual tie with Griffin for the second-lowest career stroke average in Carolina men's golf history at 72.37. Griffin has played in 36 collegiate tournaments; Montaño and Register both have played in 35.
Fountain will be making his fourth career start for the Tar Heels. He was in the UNC lineup twice last year – at Duke and Puerto Rico.
Martin started all 11 events as a freshman and posted top-10 finishes in the first three tournaments last fall.
The OFCC/Fighting Illini will be played on the 7,353-yard, par 70 North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club.
"Olympia Fields is a demanding golf course," says DiBitetto. "It's also a course that provides learning. We'll get a very good sense of where our golf games are after this week, which will be beneficial for the future. Olympia Fields is also a golf course we have seen before and have handled well. We know our games and minds need to be sharp this week."
Thirteen of the 15 teams are ranked or received votes in the Golfweek Bushnell Preseason Coaches Poll, including No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Illinois, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 USC, No. 12 UNLV, No. 14 Stanford, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 19 Alabama and No. 20 Florida State. Carolina, Cal, Northwestern received votes and Indiana and Navy complete the field.
The Illini shot 274-280-291=845 (+5) to win last fall. Texas A&M's Cameron Champ was the medalist with a 5-under 205.
Players Mentioned
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