University of North Carolina Athletics

Gerard and Hitt Fall in Match Play
August 14, 2019 | Men's Golf
Tar Heels Had Strong Run at U.S.Amateur
University of North Carolina senior Austin Hitt and junior Ryan Gerard both lost their matches on Wednesday in the round of 64 at the 2019 United States Amateur at famed Pinehurst No. 2.
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UNLV's Jack Trent won four of the last nine holes in his win over Gerard to take the match, 4 and 3. Gerard, a rising junior from Raleigh, won the second and fifth holes and was all square through six. Trent then won the seventh, eighth and 10th to take a 3 up lead.
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Arizona State's Alejandro Del Rey won the first three holes with pars and captured five of the first six holes in his match with Hitt. The rising Tar Heel senior from Longwood, Fla., won two holes in the match – the fourth and 10th. Del Rey won the 13th and 14th holes to close out the match, 5 and 4.
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Gerard and Hitt had qualified for match play by finishing ninth in a 312-player field over 36 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday.
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Former Tar Heel Kevin O'Connell was in a 27-player field Wednesday morning for the final three spots in match play, but was eliminated on the third hole of the playoff and did not advance.
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"Today didn't go the way our guys wanted but sometimes that's just golf, especially in match play," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto, who caddied for Hitt this week. "Overall this was a really good week for our players and Carolina Golf. We had a group of Tar Heels who competed against the best amateurs in the world on major championship courses that were very difficult. Austin and Ryan played extremely well in stroke play to earn top-10 seeds going into match play, which is a significant accomplishment. It was a week where a tremendous amount of learning occurred, both in seeing what areas of their games need to improve, as well as the strengths they each possess in their games."
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UNLV's Jack Trent won four of the last nine holes in his win over Gerard to take the match, 4 and 3. Gerard, a rising junior from Raleigh, won the second and fifth holes and was all square through six. Trent then won the seventh, eighth and 10th to take a 3 up lead.
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Arizona State's Alejandro Del Rey won the first three holes with pars and captured five of the first six holes in his match with Hitt. The rising Tar Heel senior from Longwood, Fla., won two holes in the match – the fourth and 10th. Del Rey won the 13th and 14th holes to close out the match, 5 and 4.
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Gerard and Hitt had qualified for match play by finishing ninth in a 312-player field over 36 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday.
Â
Former Tar Heel Kevin O'Connell was in a 27-player field Wednesday morning for the final three spots in match play, but was eliminated on the third hole of the playoff and did not advance.
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"Today didn't go the way our guys wanted but sometimes that's just golf, especially in match play," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto, who caddied for Hitt this week. "Overall this was a really good week for our players and Carolina Golf. We had a group of Tar Heels who competed against the best amateurs in the world on major championship courses that were very difficult. Austin and Ryan played extremely well in stroke play to earn top-10 seeds going into match play, which is a significant accomplishment. It was a week where a tremendous amount of learning occurred, both in seeing what areas of their games need to improve, as well as the strengths they each possess in their games."
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