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University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina To Begin Play At NCAA Championship.
May 31, 2004 | Men's Golf
May 31, 2004
TAR HEEL GOLF NOTES
*CAROLINA IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: Carolina has been to the NCAA Championship 33 times since 1949 and 22 times in the last 32 years. The Tar Heels have carded 25 top-20 finishes and 15 top-10 finishes in NCAA competition. Carolina has had 17 players finish in the top 10 of the individual race 18 times and 31 players finish in the top 20 individually 36 times. Prior to this year, the Tar Heels made trips to the NCAA in 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1971, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. This year's NCAA Championship will be played June 1-4 at The Homestead Resort's Cascades Golf Course in Hot Springs, Va., which features a par 70, 6,679-yard layout.
*CAROLINA'S TWO CHAMPS: Two Tar Heels, John Inman and Harvie Ward, have won NCAA Individual Championships. On his way to the title in 1949, Ward defeated Oklahoma's Bo Winninger, LSU's Gardner Dickinson and Notre Dame's Tommy Veech before dispatching Texas' Morris Williams Jr. in the 36-hole final, five and four. Thirty-five years later in 1984, Inman captured the title with a 17-under-par score, breaking Ben Crenshaw's NCAA record by two strokes. That record, set at Houston's Bear Creek Golf World, was broken in 2000 by Charles Howell of Oklahoma State who fired a 23-under-par score of 266.
*CAROLINA IN THIS YEAR'S NCAA EAST REGIONAL: The Tar Heels advanced to the NCAA Championship by virture of a 10th-place finish at the NCAA East Regional. Carolina and NC State were tied for 10th place at the end of regulation play in the 54-hole East Regional with 882 totals so the two teams headed to the first hole, par four, 410 yards, for sudden death playoff. Senior Dustin Bray holed a 12-foot birdie putt to lead the Tar Heel attack. Carolina carded three pars and Bray's birdie while the Wolfpack posted three pars and a bogey. The Tar Heels fired rounds of 294-283-305 for their 882 total at The Course at Yale in New Haven, Conn., a par 70, 6,749-yard layout. Going into the final round, Carolina was in third place. And after struggling in the final round, the Tar Heels were well below 10th place. However, by the time all teams had completed the round, the Tar Heels found themselves tied for 10th.
efore his sudden death heroics, Bray tied for 17th place after firing rounds of 75-66-74 for a five-over 215 total. Ted Smith finished two strokes back in a tie for 23rd with a 217 total after carding rounds of 73-71-73. Kevin Silva tied for 59th at 223 with rounds of 74-73-76 while Martin Ureta posted rounds of 74-73-82 for a 229 total tying for 90th, and Matt Crenshaw tied for 99th with a 231 total after carding rounds of 73-76-82.
*CAROLINA'S Dustin Bray SELECTED TO ALL-ACC TEAM: Dustin Bray, a senior from Asheboro, N.C., was selected to the 2004 All-Atlantic Coast Conference team becoming the Tar Heels' first four-time all-conference honoree as he was also an all-conference performer in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Joining Bray on this year's 13-man squad is Clemson's Matt Hendrix, Gregg Jones and Jack Ferguson; Georgia Tech's Nicholas Thompson, Chan Wongluekiet and Roberto Castro; Wake Forest's Bill Haas, Kyle Reifers and Sean Moore; Duke's Ryan Blaum and Nathan Smith and NC State's Fernando Mechereffe.
Wake Forest's Haas was named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year while Demon Deacon Sean Moore was selected Rookie of the Year and Larry Penley from Clemson received Coach of the Year accolades for the sixth time in his career.
*TAR HEELS IN THE POLLS: Carolina is ranked 28th nationally in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.
*CAROLINA THIS SPRING: North Carolina's top finish so far this spring is a third-place finish at the Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va. Senior Dustin Bray was the runner-up, losing in a playoff to Andrea Signor of the Italian National Team, while Tar Heel freshman Martin Ureta tied for fourth place. Carolina finished fifth at the ACC Championship played at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C., where Bray tied for seventh place at five-under-par 211 and Ted Smith tied for 15th at two-under 214. The Tar Heels posted a ninth-place finish at the Courtyard By Marriott Intercollegiate played in Cary. Kevin Silva led the way for the Tar Heels firing a four-under-par 212 total and tying for seventh place. Carolina tied for 10th at the NCAA East Regional in New Haven, Conn., where the Tar Heels were led by Bray who tied for 17th with a 215 total. It was Bray's clutch putt in the playoff that enabled the Tar Heels to advance on to the NCAA Championship. Carolina posted a 12th-place finish at the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational in Augusta, Ga. Bray and Smith tied for 28th place to lead the Tar Heels. Carolina finished 13th at the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga., where Ureta tied for eighth place with a one-under-par 215 total. Carolina finished 15th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship in Las Vegas, Nev., and finished 16th at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Senior Bray tied for fifth place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate while sophomore Silva tied for 18th. Silva was the low Tar Heel at the Southern Highlands Collegiate where he tied for 28th place.
*CAROLINA IN THE FALL: The Tar Heels captured two team championships last fall - the Franklin Street Partners Invitational in Chapel Hill and the Duke Golf Classic in Durham. Senior Dusin Bray was the individual medalist in both of those events, tying for first place with a three-under-par 213 total at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational and posting a five-stroke victory at the Duke Golf Classic with a nine-under 207 total. Earlier in the fall, Carolina tied for seventh place at the Ping/Golfweek Preview where Kevin Silva was the runner-up individually and Bray tied for 20th. The Tar Heels tallied a 10th-place finish at the Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges Intercollegiate where sophomore Ted Smith was low for Carolina with a tie for 18th place.
*BRAY WINNINGEST TAR HEEL IN UNC HISTORY: Dustin Bray, a senior from Asheboro, N.C., won two individual championships last fall to become the winningest golfer in school history with seven victories to his credit. His last two wins came when he tied for individual medalist honors at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational with a three-under-par 213 total and he captured the title at the Duke Golf Classic after firing a nine-under 207. Bray's other top-20 finish last fall came when he tied for 20th place at the Ping/Golfweek Preview. Bray has posted five top-30 finishes this spring. He was the runner-up at the Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic, losing in a playoff to Andrea Signor of the Italian National Team, after carding a three-under-par 213. Bray tied for fifth place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate, tied for seventh at the ACC Championship, tied for 17th at the NCAA East Regional and tied for 28th at the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational. It was Bray who sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole of the NCAA East Regional to allow the Tar Heels to advance to the NCAA Championship over arch-rival NC State.
In previous NCAA Championships, Bray tied for 17th place in 2002 in Columbus, Ohio, and tied for 49th last year in Stillwater, Okla. Bray was victorious at the 2002 ACC Championship, when he fired rounds of 66-67-72 for an 11-under-par 205 total and a two-stroke win over a pair of Georgia Tech players. He led throughout the three-day tournament, played at Old North State, carding 14 birdies and only three bogies.
A semifinalist at the 2002 U.S. Amateur, Bray was named to the 2002-03 PING All-America first team and the 2001-02 PING All-America second team. He is a four-time All-ACC selection, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. He represented the United States at the 2003 Palmer Cup and at the 2002 U.S./Japan matches.
*SILVA STEADY PERFORMER FOR TAR HEELS: Kevin Silva, a sophomore from New Bedford, Mass., has been a starter for Carolina ever since arriving on campus. He has played in all 11 of Carolina's tournaments this year and has posted seven top-30 finishes. Silva was the runner-up at last fall's Ping/Golfweek Preview. He also tied for 20th at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational and tied for 30th at the Duke Golf Classic. This spring, Silva's top finish came at the Courtyard By Marriott Intercollegiate where he tied for seventh place. He also tied for 18th place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, tied for 19th at the ACC Championship and tied for 28th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship. At the Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic, Silva fired a hole-in-one on the par three, 205-yard eighth hole. At last year's NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Okla., Silva tied for 67th place at 313.
*URETA BREAKS INTO LINEUP AS FRESHMAN: Martin Ureta, a freshman from Santiago, Chile, broke into the starting five in his first year in a Tar Heel uniform. He played in the final tournament of the fall campaign and has played in all seven of Carolina's spring tournaments. Ureta tied for 11th place at last fall's Duke Golf Classic in his first performance as a Tar Heel. This spring, Ureta's top performances came when he tied for fourth place at the Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic. He tied for eighth place at the Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational to lead the Tar Heels and tied for 32nd place at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Championship in Las Vegas.
*SMITH GIVES TAR HEELS SPARK: Ted Smith, a sophomore from Westlake, Ohio, broke into the lineup this year and has been a spark for the Tar Heels. He has played in 10 of Carolina's 11 tournaments, posting eight top-30 finishes. Last fall, Smith tied for third place at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational, tied for 18th at the Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges Intercollegiate and tied for 27th at the Duke Golf Classic. This spring, Smith's top finishes came when he tied for 15th place at the ACC Championship. He posted a 20th-place finish at the Andrea Brotto Cavalier Classic, tied for 23rd at the NCAA East Regional, tied for 25th place at the Courtyard By Marriott Intercollegiate and tied for 28th place at the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational.
*CRENSHAW BREAKS INTO LINEUP: Matt Crenshaw, a junior from Burlington, N.C., broke into the Tar Heel lineup this spring. He played as an individual in the Duke Golf Classic, the final tournament of the fall campaign, tying for 64th place. This spring, Crenshaw played in all seven of Carolina's tournaments. His best finish was a tie for 21st place at the ACC Championship.
*JOHN INMAN IN SIXTH YEAR AS TAR HEEL COACH: John Inman, in his sixth year at the Tar Heel helm, led Carolina to top-20 finishes in the NCAA Championships in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. Carolina has captured the team title in eight tournaments since Inman was named head coach.
Inman came to Carolina in the summer of '98 after spending 12 years on the PGA Tour. A native of Greensboro, N.C., and a 1984 graduate of Carolina, Inman won two tournaments during his professional career -- the 1987 Provident Classic and the 1993 Buick Southern Open. He posted eight top-10 finishes and 32 top-25 finishes.
Inman, a three-time All-America (1982-84) and three-time All-ACC performer (1982-84), played on the Tar Heel team from 1981-84. He won the NCAA Individual Championship in 1984 and was the recipient of the 1984 Fred Haskins Award as the National Player of the Year. Inman won five individual titles while donning a Tar Heel uniform, including the '84 NCAA Championship and the '82 ACC Championship. Inman was also a member of the 1984 World Amateur Team and the '84 Western Amateur champion.
Players Mentioned
