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University of North Carolina Athletics
The Tar Heel Men's Golf Team Opens Spring Season On Sunday
March 6, 2009 | Men's Golf
March 6, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina men's golf team will be all about one thing for the 2009 spring season: consistency. Head Coach John Inman is in his 11th year with the Tar Heels and he knows he has a great team - the team just needs to strive for consistency throughout the lineup to insure a strong spring season.
"We've had some good rounds [in the fall of 2008], but we just haven't been able to keep it going," said Inman. "And that's the thing we've got to do. That consistency, it has got to be throughout the round."
The Tar Heels return with a full lineup of stellar golfers, and Inman's emphasis on consistency is on the mind of each player. Some are returning with strengthened amateur resumes and some are back from injuries. But all are looking to play hard and strive for success.
One senior that Inman knows he can count on for work ethic is Robert Riesen. The Pinehurst, N.C., native was third on the team with a 73.14 scoring average last year. He also tied for 10th in the North Carolina Amateur last summer before his senior year. Riesen has already shown some senior leadership in the fall of 2008 by competing in all four tournaments.
"Robert has been a great player for us over the years," said Inman. "He's playing with a lot more confidence. I expect him to continue that play because he really wants to go on and play professional golf - and I think this is a stepping-stone. You've got to be comfortable at this level and you have to play well at this level. He knows that and he's working hard."
Fellow senior Ryan Holler, of Morehead City, N.C., is also looking to get more playing time in his final season as a Tar Heel. Although Holler has struggled some throughout his career, he has consistently been competitive on the B-team.
"Ryan hasn't played as much for us," said Inman. "But I expect him to keep working hard and to be ready to play in the spring. He played one A-team tournament last fall and has also played a couple other times as an individual and another B-team tournament. He's had some mixed results, but I know he'll be ready to play in the spring."
With only two seniors, Carolina has the opportunity to look to the juniors for more leadership. Chase MacFarland and David Holzworth have already proven that they can be big contributors.
MacFarland finished second in the ACC Championship in 2008 after a huge comeback that spring and placed highest among Carolina's players at the NCAA West Regional with a tie for 25th. The Savannah, Ga., native was also named to the All-ACC Academic Golf Team.
"Chase is an incredible talent," said Inman. "When he's on, he's one of the best in college golf. We've just got to find a way for him to maintain that level week in and week out. He wants to be in the lineup - he wants it a great deal. He'll do the things that it will take to get there."
Holzworth had a much more exciting freshman season than his sophomore season, but he has already played in two tournaments as a junior in the fall of 2008. An eight-over 224 in the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate and a three-over 213 in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate were carded by the Chapel Hill, N.C., native.
"David is a very talented player and he's really becoming more consistent," said Inman. "To be able to maintain at that high of a level for an extended period, that's the difficult part, but David is learning how to do that. I expect him to really help us in the spring because he is one of our most talented players."
The Tar Heel to watch out for is sophomore Kevin O'Connell out of Cary, N.C. As a freshman, he consistently tagged top-30 finishes - seven of which were top-10. The 2008 ACC Freshman of the Year led the team with a 71.66 scoring average and the most under-pars at 14. He spent the summer playing in the North Carolina Amateur where he finished sixth, the U.S. Amateur where he advanced to match play, and the Fuji Xerox USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship at Tokyo Golf Club where he earned MVP honors and carded three victories. Clearly, O'Connell is a superstar in the making.
"He just has that determination," said Inman. "When he's putting well, when his short game is on, he's going to win golf tournaments. He just has what it takes to be one of the best players in college golf. He's working on trying to get a little bit more length, trying to hit it a little further. And I think that is something that will help him when he gets to his pro career.
"He's an outstanding player. He hates to lose and he really goes about everything in a really professional manner. He's going to have a long and very good career. He's intense - very intense."
Sophomore Henry Zaytoun III of Raleigh, N.C., really came on as a team player in the spring of his freshman year. Eighteen of his total 20 rounds played in 2007-08 were counted towards the team total. His best finish was a tie for 27th at the Administaff Augusta State Invitational.
"Henry came off a great high school career and junior golf career," said Inman. "He has been a little bit inconsistent, I guess, with his results in tournaments. He has just struggled and I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself. He's learning how to relax on the golf course and let the game come to him by not putting so much pressure on the results."
Philip Chauncey, a sophomore out of Durham, N.C., returns to the Tar Heels after rehabilitating from knee surgery in 2007-08. He is healthy and ready to play, hoping to get a real start in college play. He already got a start in amateur competition by competing in the North Carolina Amateur where he tied for 56th. In the fall of 2008, Chauncey played in three tournaments. He led the team at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, a tournament in which all the Tar Heels struggled.
"He's finally gotten the taste of being in the lineup and getting comfortable at that point," said Inman. "That is what is going to help us in the spring: these guys having that experience and being ready for the big tournaments in which we're playing, and Philip is making good strides."
The 2008-09 team is already stacked with talent, but the freshmen class has plans of their own to help the team. Inman agrees that the three newcomers will help the team immensely.
Jack Fields is already a standout in North Carolina. The Southern Pines, N.C., native won the 2008 North Carolina Amateur and went on to play in the U.S. Amateur before entering college. Fields' final round at the North Carolina Amateur included an impressive double eagle, an eagle, and five birdies. As a Tar Heel, he has already carded a top-10 finish at the Maryland Intercollegiate.
"Jack has made the transition, and that's the hardest part," said Inman. "He already has a taste of some good playing in college. I think that he's a guy who has that fire in his belly. He wants to win. And on top of that, he has the abilities to shoot good scores. He's going to be a great player for us and he's just going to bring a lot of fire and intensity to the game and that's what we need. We need that little bit of swagger."
Patrick Barrett, of Pinehurst, N.C., was a high school classmate of Fields. Unfortunately, Barrett suffered some injuries at the end of his junior career, including a broken bone in his hand.
"He continued to play through it but shot some pretty poor scores and got frustrated," said Inman. "But he's back, he's healthy, and we've seen what he can do. He hasn't reached that level of maturity yet on the golf course, but that's something he'll get because he has all the tools. He picks things up quickly so I think that he's going to be incredible."
Pine Valley, N.J., native Matt Raudenbush rejoins the Tar Heels after a medical redshirt season used to recover from shoulder surgery. The former hockey player is known for his competitiveness, and Inman thinks that will "pay big dividends for him."
"He's tough, mentally tough," said Inman. "Matter of fact, I have a lot of putting games out there with him. He loves to beat me just as much as I love to beat him. Hopefully everybody is pushing him to make him better. He's just a very mature young man."
With only two seniors and three juniors, Carolina does seem to have a young team. But Inman is not worried because the underclassmen have already proven that they can pull their clout with the rest of the big-time players in college golf. "We're very deep right now," said Inman, "and I think we're going to have a lot of competition for those five spots."
An interesting fact about the men's golf team is that all but one of the players are from the southeast, but even more remarkable is that eight are from the state of North Carolina. The program has had internationally and nationally renowned players before, but to have so many in Carolina's own backyard is truly special.
"Assistant Coach Don Hill has done a great job in establishing the relationships with these kids and really being out there," said Inman. "It's not to say that we don't recruit the best players in the country or internationally, but when we have so much talent here in the state, it would be silly not to utilize it."
Utilizing the talent available is evident in the Tar Heels' performances - the only thing lacking is consistency. But Inman knows that, and he is pushing his players to strive for that consistency for the spring portion of the 2008-09 season.
"We've got some work to do," said Inman. "We're trying to find our consistency. I'm not worried about where we are right now because I know how much ability and talent and desire these guys have. We're going to get it going in the right direction."
The Tar Heels begin their spring season this Sunday-Monday at the General Hackler Championship in Murrells Inlet, S.C. The 54-hole event will be played at the TPC of Myrtle Beach which features a par 72, 6,950-yard layout. Live scoring throughout the tournament will be available on Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
