Hitt and Martin Finish in the Top 10 in Phoenix

Saturday, April 13

Phoenix, Ariz. (Papago CC)

All Day

North Carolina

ASU Thunderbird Day Two

April 13, 2019 | Men's Golf

ASU 2019 TEAM FINAL RESULTS

Tar Heels Sixth After 1 Under Final Round

By: Steve Kirschner

Carolina junior Austin Hitt (Longwood, Fla.) shot 70 to finish in a tie for sixth place and senior Joshua Martin (Pinehurst, N.C.) shot a 2-under-par 69 to tie for eighth after the third and final round at the Arizona State University Thunderbird Collegiate played at the Papago Golf Course.

The Tar Heels finished sixth in the 14-team field that included five top-25 and 10 top-50 teams. UNC shot 1 under 283 today and finished the 54-hole tournament at even par 852. Second-ranked Arizona State, the tournament host, won the event by a dozen strokes over seventh-ranked Texas. The Sun Devils shot 20 under par. UCLA was third (-7), ASU's B team (-2) and No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State (-2) tied for fourth, just two strokes ahead of the Tar Heels.

Hitt posted his fifth top-six finish of the season and third in his last four starts. He had four birdies on the front nine and added a fifth at the 12th hole to climb into a tie for second place before bogeys at 13 and 18 dropped him into a tie for sixth at 4 under 209 for the tournament.

Martin opened with birdies on one and three, gave two strokes back on the front side, then birdied 13 and 15 to finish the back nine and the round at 2 under 69. It was the 10th top-10 finish of his college career.

Tar Heel freshman Ryan Burnett shot even par 71 in the third round.

"This was a productive trip in many ways," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "We were able to see where we stack up against some of the best teams in the country and had the opportunity to play on very firm and fast greens. It seems like it's been wet all over the country so we've mostly seen soft greens this year. We also chose to play in this tournament to get a taste of desert golf since the national championship will be played in Arizona for three straight years starting in 2020.

"Austin has grown so much as a person and player. He's turned into a complete player and his golf brain is light years better than it used to be. I also had the chance to watch Josh quite a bit this tournament and was very impressed with where his game is."

Arizona State's Chun An Yu shot 66-67-68– 201 (-12) to capture medalist honors by four strokes over Texas's Cole Hammer (-8).

Carolina returns to action Thursday (April 18) when the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship begins play at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C.

"We have a quick turnaround as we head to ACCs on Tuesday," says DiBitetto. "The ACC is loaded with great teams, including three that are in the top 10 in the national rankings. I like our team and all of us are excited to compete at Old North State."