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University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Golf Readies for NCAA Action
May 25, 2017 | Men's Golf
Upcoming Tournament: 2017 NCAA Championships
When: Friday-Wednesday, May 26-31, 2017
Site: Sugar Grove, Illinois
Course: Rich Harvest Farms (Par 72 – 7,300 yards)
Tar Heel Rankings: Golfweek #28, Golfstat #27, Seeded #24 of 30
For the first time since 2007 and 43rd time in program history, the UNC men's golf team is ready to compete in the NCAA Championships. The Tar Heels qualified thanks to two straight under-par rounds that propelled them into the fifth and final slot by a single stroke in the Stanford Regional.
The NCAA Championship will be played over the next six days. All 30 teams and 12 individuals will play 54 holes of stroke play over the next three days (Friday to Sunday). Following day three, the top 15 teams will advance for one more round of stroke play that determines the individual national champion and the eight teams that will advance to compete in match play, seeded according to their finish. The quarterfinals and semi-finals will be played on Tuesday with the championship match being played on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels will be using the same lineup they did for the Stanford regional. Junior Ben Griffin finished 11th at 1-under par at Stanford and was tied for second at the ACC Championship. Junior Jose Montaño, like Griffin, shot two rounds in the 60s at Stanford, and finished tied for 17th at 1-over par. Freshman Austin Hitt fired a final round 67 to finish tied for 33rd. Finally, junior William Register and senior Zach Martin finished tied for 38th.
Register and Griffin have been consistent faces in the Tar Heel lineup over the last three seasons. They currently hold two of the three-best career stroke averages in UNC history. Griffin leads the team this year at 72.38 and is third all-time at 72.41; Register is third this year and second in school history at 72.94 and 72.28, respectively.
This will be the final tournament for Zach Martin representing the Tar Heels. Before this season, he had never been a part of a starting lineup for a tournament. But, he has three top-40 finishes out of the four tournaments he's competed in as a senior. He tied and then set the record at UNC's home course in the fall, and cracked the starting lineup for the first time when he finished fifth at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate in October.
Carolina will play alongside Alabama and Lipscomb for the first two days of action. Friday, they will tee off on the 10th hole beginning at 8:40 a.m. Eastern. The field will be reversed on Saturday with Carolina teeing off on the first hole starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.
The Golf Channel will be providing live television coverage of the final round of stroke play on Monday, the quarterfinals of match play Tuesday morning, the semifinals Tuesday afternoon, and the finals on Wednesday afternoon.
Tar Heel fans interested in attending can purchase tickets through Rich Harvest Farms. Otherwise, stay tuned to Golfstat for live scoring and to @UNCMensGolf on Twitter for in-round coverage.
2017 NCAA Championships Field (Ordered by seed)
Southern California, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Baylor, LSU, Illinois, Oregon, Kent State, Texas, Clemson, UNLV, Oklahoma, Virginia, UCF, Duke, Auburn, Ole Miss, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Florida State, North Carolina, Alabama, Lipscomb University, Kennesaw State, Purdue, Jacksonville, New Mexico, Iowa State, Penn State
Tar Heel Lineup
1. Ben Griffin, junior, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2. William Register, junior, Burlington, N.C.
3. Jose Montaño, junior, Cochabamba, Bolivia
4. Austin Hitt, freshman, Longwood, Fla.
5. Zach Martin, senior, Pinehurst, N.C.
