Gerard and Hitt Advance to Match Play

A pair of University of North Carolina men's golfers, junior Ryan Gerard of Raleigh and senior Austin Hitt of Longwood, Fla., are tied for ninth after 36 holes of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst and advanced to match play in the round of 64.

UNC is the only college program in the country to have two current or former players qualify in the top 10 in stroke play in this year's U.S. Amateur.

Second-round play was suspended several times Tuesday, once for a weather delay late in the afternoon while Gerard was still on the course, and again at 8 p.m. due to darkness.

As a result, the 64 players who will advance to Wednesday's match play won't be determined until tomorrow morning, but Gerard's and Hitt's spots are secure. They are currently only two of 11 players in the tournament to shoot even-par or better over the 36 holes of stroke play.

Gerard shot a 2-under-68 on Pinehurst No. 4 in Tuesday's second round and finished even-par 140 for the two days. He made six birdies today, including back-to-back on 16 and 17, and was tied for third place in the 312-player field until he made a double bogey on the final hole.

Hitt shot 70 for the second day in a row. He made two birdies and two bogeys today, also on the No. 4 course.

Kevin O'Connell, who played for the Tar Heels from 2008-11, shot 71-74–145 to finish 5 over. He is currently tied for 67th place, one shot behind 21 players at 4 over. However, a number of players either a shot or two ahead of O'Connell still have several holes to play on Wednesday to finish their second rounds.

Alumnus Henry Do (76-73–149), incoming freshman Austin Greaser (75-76–151), sophomore Ryan Burnett (82-73–155) and former Tar Heel Andy Sajevic (86-72–158) missed the cut.

Round of 64 pairings and tee times will be determined Wednesday after the conclusion of the second round.

Players Mentioned

Ryan Burnett

Ryan Gerard

Austin Hitt

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