Men's Golf 4th Against National Field at Olympia Fields

Sunday, September 22

Olympia Fields, Ill.

All Day

North Carolina

Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational Day Three

September 22, 2019 | Men's Golf

OFCC Final Stats

Senior Austin Hitt Ties for 7th

By: Steve Kirschner

Senior Austin Hitt made six birdies en route to a 2-under-par 68 and the University of North Carolina held its ground in Sunday's final round for a fourth-place finish against a strong national field at the Olympia Fields Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational.

Hitt tied for seventh, his second top-10 performance of the fall and 11th of his collegiate career.

Carolina came into the third round in fourth place and remained there after shooting a 3-over-283, its best result of the three-day event. The tournament included 10 teams that competed in last season's NCAA Championship.

Ryan Burnett and Ryan Gerard each shot 71, Austin Greaser posted a 74 and Kenan Poole finished with a 75. Burnett tied for 17th place.

Georgia Tech and Baylor tied for the tournament title at 6 over par. The Yellow Jackets were one of three teams to shoot 1 over today, coming from a shot behind after two rounds to claim a share of the team title. Pepperdine was third at plus 9, UNC was fourth at plus 16 and host Illinois and Texas A&M tied for fifth at 19 over.

Florida (+20), Florida State (+21), 2019 national runner-up Texas (+23), Alabama (+32), Northwestern (+33), California (+37), Oklahoma State (+37), UNLV (+44) and Indiana (+64) rounded out the 15-team field.

Cooper Dossey of Baylor was the medalist at 4-under-206, a shot better than Florida's John Axelsen.

"We were looking forward to this tournament because you learn so much," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "You learn how you stack up against the best teams in the country early in the season and you learn how your golf game stacks up on a major championship golf course. As a team, we did a lot of things very well this weekend. We also have a clear understanding about where we can improve our games, collectively and as individuals."

"It was great to see Austin Hitt play well this week. He had a slow start to the tournament as he was 3 over through his first nine holes, but was one of the best players on the course for the final two and a half rounds. He stayed patient, trusted himself and saw positive results the last 45 holes."

Carolina played the North Course's 18th hole 4 over par on Sunday and 10 over for the tournament. The entire field made one birdie, 44 bogeys and seven double bogeys on Sunday on the 18th. For the tournament, the 496-yard, par-4 18^th hole yielded four birdies, 122 bogeys and 34 double bogeys or worse.

The Tar Heels return to action on October 7-8 at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Classic.