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UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate
Carolina Leads UNCG Bridgestone After Record-Breaking Round
October 23, 2010 | Men's Golf
Oct. 23, 2010
GREENSBORO, N.C. -
The University of North Carolina men's golf team fired a sizzling 8-under-par 280 in the first round of the UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate and then surpassed that with a record-breaking 20-under 268, the lowest round in school history, in the second round. Carolina's 28-under 548 total leads the field of 14 teams going into Sunday's final round. Tar Heel senior Henry Zaytoun III is tied for the individual lead with an 8-under 136 total.
The Tar Heels' round of 268 beat Carolina's previous low round of 270 which was shot twice - in the second round of the 2007 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate and the first round of the 1991 Tar Heel Intercollegiate.
"The golf course (Forest Oaks Country Club) is in great shape," says Tar Heel head coach John Inman. "We had the same tees and pin placements for the afternoon round. The course didn't seem to be playing that long so there were a lot of birdie opportunities out there and the guys just took advantage of them. It was fun to watch. Tomorrow, we've got to be patient, but at the same time put the pedal to the metal and beat the golf course."
Zaytoun also fired the low round of his collegiate career, a 7-under-par 65, in the second round after shooting a 1-under 71 Saturday morning. Zaytoun's 65 came as he birdied five of his first seven holes (holes 2 through 8). The native from Raleigh, N.C., is in a five-way tie for the individual lead with an 8-under 136 total.
Two Tar Heels, junior Jack Fields and sophomore Michael McGowan, are tied for sixth place at 7-under 137, just one stroke behind the leaders. Fields, from Southern Pines, N.C., fired a 5-under 67 in the morning followed by a 2-under 70 in the afternoon. McGowan, also from Southern Pines, posted a 1-under 71 and then a 6-under 66 which ties the low round of his collegiate career. McGowan bogeyed his first hole (#2), but this picked up seven birdies on his way to that 66. Clark Palmer, a sophomore form Augusta, Ga., is tied for 12th place at 6-under 138 after firing rounds of 71-67. His 5-under 67 was Clark's low collegiate round and his scorecard was highlighted by five birdies and no bogeys. Senior Kevin O'Connell, from Cary, N.C., stands at 1-under 143 in a tie for 29th with rounds of even par 72 followed by a 1-under 71. Matt Raudenbush, a sophomore from Pine Valley, N.J., carded a 147 total and is tied for 59th after rounds of 73-74 while playing as an individual.
Carolina was tied for second after its 8-under 280 in the first round, one stroke behind Michigan's 279. But the Tar Heels' sizzling 20-under 268 in the afternoon for a 28-under 548 total gives them a six-stroke advantage over Michigan's 22-under 554 heading into Sunday's final round. Virginia Tech is in third place at 19-under 557 while Auburn is fourth at 560, UNC Greensboro and Charlotte are tied for fifth place with 564 totals and Northwestern is seventh at 567.
The individual leaderboard is crowded with five players vying for the top position at 8-under-par 136 - Carolina's Zaytoun, Auburn's Michael Hebert, Virginia Tech's Mikey Moyers, Michigan's Matt Thompson and Northwestern's David Lipsky. Six players are one shot back in a tie for sixth place at 7-under 137 - Carolina's Fields and McGowan, Auburn's Blayne Barber, Minnesota's Donald Constable, Michigan's Lion Kim and UNC Greensboro's Andy Knox.
The final round of the 54-hole event will be played Sunday at Forest Oaks Country Club which features a par 72, 7,197-yard layout.
