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University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Golfers Finish 9th At Puerto Rico Classic
February 24, 2015 | Men's Golf
RIO GRANDE, PUERTO RICO - The North Carolina men's golf team finished in ninth place at the Puerto Rico Classic. Carolina fired a 2-over-par 290 for the second consecutive day to finish with a 17-over 881 total at the Rio Mar River Course. The Tar Heels were led by Ben Griffin and Henry Do who fired a 2-under 70 and 1-under 71, respectively.
“We got off to the start we needed, but unfortunately didn't finish off the round and it cost us a few spots on the leaderboard,” said Tar Heel head coach Andrew Sapp. “This was a nice tournament for Henry and for Ben a good last two rounds. We just dug ourselves too deep of a hole the first round, and then today didn't finish our last few holes well enough to shoot an under par final round.
Do, a sophomore from Canton, Mich., tied for 11th in the individual race with a 2-under 214 total. His 1-under 71 in the final round came on four birdies and three bogeys. Freshman Griffin, from Chapel Hill, N.C., finished three strokes back at 1-over 217 in a tie for 19th place. His 2-under 70 on Tuesday came after five birdies and three bogeys. Another freshman, William Register, fired an even par 72 after carding four birdies and four bogeys. The Burlington, N.C. native tied for 49th with a 10-over 226.
Senior Brandon Dalinka and sophomore Carter Jenkins both carded a 5-over 77 in Tuesday's final round. Dalinka, from Newtown, Pa., tied for 53rd place at 11-over 227 while Jenkins, from Raleigh, N.C., finished one stroke back at 12-over 228 in a tie for 55th place.
Georgia, which led throughout the tournament, captured the team title over the 15-team field. The Bulldogs finished with a 12-under 852 total, seven strokes ahead of rival Georgia Tech which shot a 293 in the final round for a 5-under 859 total. Alabama and Oklahoma tied for third place with 1-over 865 totals. Tournament host Purdue finished fifth at 3-over 867, Clemson finished sixth at 9-over 873 and Michigan finished seventh at 10-over 874. Rounding out the top 10 is a trio of ACC teams – Virginia Tech eighth at 13-over 877, Carolina ninth at 17-over 881 and NC State 10th at 24-over 888.
Dru Love of Alabama and Scott Vincent of Virginia Tech tied for the individual title with 7-under 209 totals. Vincent fired a 4-under 68 in the final round while Love shot a 3-under 69. Billy Kennerly of Clemson finished alone in third place at 6-under 210 while three players tied for fourth place at 5-under 211 – Alabama's Robby Shelton and Georgia's Sepp Straka and Lee McCoy. Another trio tied for seventh at 4-under 212 – Oklahoma's Grant Hirschman, Clemson's Miller Capps and Tulsa's Matt Mabrey.
The 54-hole event was played at the Rio Mar River Course which features a par 72, 6,902-yard layout. The Tar Heels return to action March 9-10 at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic at Chula Vista, Calif.
“We are looking forward to getting back to work and preparing for our trip to San Diego,” said Sapp.
Players Mentioned
