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University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Golf Opens Spring Schedule Jan. 17
January 4, 2021 | Men's Golf
Nine Events Scheduled in Return to Golf
The University of North Carolina men's golf team returns to competition on January 17 in Watersound, Fla., at the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational after a 10 month break due to the pandemic.
The three-day, 54-hole event is hosted by Florida State at Camp Creek Golf Club.
Carolina won its eighth and final tournament of the 2019-20 season, a 13-stroke victory on March 10 at the General Hackler Championship at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Within days of that triumph, the sports world, including collegiate golf, came to a sudden and season-ending halt. It will be 313 days since the shutdown when the Tar Heels tee off in the 2021 season opener.
For Andrew DiBitetto, it can't come a moment too soon.
"We waited a long time to be back together again in competition, and we couldn't be more excited," says UNC's fourth-year head coach. "Our guys have worked hard over the past year, and are ready to get rolling this spring as we chase after a national championship."
The Tar Heels won twice last season (the Turning Stone Tiger Invitational in Verona, N.Y., and the General Hackler), were runners-up at Notre Dame and finished fourth twice – at the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational and the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
UNC returns every member of the team from a year ago and adds freshmen Peter Fountain of Raleigh and Ryan Smith of Carlsbad, Calif.
Austin Hitt took advantage of the NCAA allowing last year's seniors to return to collegiate golf and is competing for a fifth season. The Lakewood, Fla., native owns the sixth-best career stroke average in school history (72.31).
"It was an easy decision to come back to school to finish what we started last year, and it gave me a chance to develop my game for another year before hitting the pro ranks," says Hitt. "I've improved a lot since we shut down last spring. I worked on the little things in my game. I started working on my technique with a new swing coach and am seeing some nice results."
Junior Ryan Burnett (Lafayette, Calif.) and senior Ryan Gerard (Raleigh) are two other Tar Heels poised for big seasons. Burnett was a second-team All-America and Haskins Award candidate a year ago; Gerard earned honorable mention All-America honors and joined Burnett on PING's all-region team.
Burnett won at Turning Stone (18-under 198) and added two seconds and a third-place finish, averaging 70.21 strokes, which was on pace to be the lowest ever by a Tar Heel in a season. His career average of 71.45 over 67 rounds is the best in school history.
Gerard set UNC's 18-hole scoring record at Notre Dame as a sophomore when he shot 61 in the final round. Last year, he averaged 71.08 strokes (which was on track to be the second lowest by a Tar Heel in a season) and his career average of 71.82 is the No. 2 in UNC history.
Sophomore Austin Greaser (Vandalia, Ohio) and junior Dougie Ergood (Mount Laurel, N.J.) also started last season. Greaser almost won right out of the blocks, finishing second to Burnett in his first collegiate tournament at Turning Stone with an 11-under 205. Last summer, he won the 2020 Northern Kentucky and Ohio Amateurs, claiming the latter at 18 under par, breaking by two strokes the tournament record previously held by British Open champion Ben Curtis.
Although all five starters from a year ago are returning, Carolina's depth is strong and competition for spots in the lineup will be intense and beneficial for both players and the team.
Fountain, the 2019 North Carolina 4-A high school state champion, played well on the amateur circuit last summer. He won the 2020 North Carolina Amateur, shared medalist honors in stroke play at the North and South Amateur, was the low amateur at the 2020 North Carolina Open and finished second in the 2020 Carolinas Amateur.
Senior Mason Elmore (Charlotte), junior Luis Castro (The Philippines), sophomores George McNeely (Carmel, Calif.) and Kenan Poole (Raleigh) and Smith are all capable of playing their way into the lineup. Qualifying for the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational begins this week.
"The fall was certainly unique," says DiBitetto. "Coach (Matt) Clark and I weren't allowed to be at any tournaments, but we were able to be together with the team for practices and workouts, which was beneficial for many reasons. Most importantly, the guys still had opportunities to compete in tournaments on their own throughout the fall semester."
Carolina's 2021 spring schedule could be looked at in thirds. The first three of the nine events will be new tournaments for the Tar Heels, the middle three are tournaments UNC is returning to play and the final three are championship golf.
Following the opener at Camp Creek, UNC will travel to La Quinta, Calif., to compete in The Prestige at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West. In early March, Wake Forest hosts an invitational at historic Pinehurst No. 2.
Later in March, UNC returns to The Dunes Club to defend its team title at the General Hackler. Burnett and Gerard were second and seventh, respectively, in leading UNC to a 21-under 843 finish.
On March 27-28, Carolina plays host to the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC Finley, an event that was canceled last year due to Covid-19.
Finally, in mid-April, UNC returns to Phoenix for the Arizona State Thunderbird Collegiate. Two seasons ago, Hitt shot a second-round 67 and finished sixth in leading the Tar Heels to a fifth-place showing.
"We feel fortunate to have the schedule we do this spring," says DiBitetto. "We'll start in Florida against all ACC teams, which was the strongest conference in golf last year, and then head to The Prestige where we will compete on a great golf course against the best teams in the country. That will be followed by a tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 and then to the Hackler to defend our title. After that, we'll play at home, which is always significant for us, and then we'll finish our regular season playing desert golf one month before the NCAA Championship, which will also be played on a desert course near Phoenix."
The final third of the schedule includes the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (April 23-26), NCAA Regionals (May 17-19) and NCAA Championship (May 28-June 2).
The ACC Championship debuts both a new format and venue at the Capital City Club in Woodstock, Ga. Previous team champions were crowned after 54 holes of stroke play. All teams will still play three rounds of stroke play, but the four teams with the best 54-hole totals will advance to semifinal and championship rounds of match play over two days.
"We were going to use the new format last year before everyone shut down," says DiBitetto. "We're really looking forward to it. The cut to four teams with match play should add even more excitement and intensity to a loaded and talented conference championship. It also helps ACC teams better prepare for the NCAA tournaments."
NCAA Regional sites are set for Noblesville, Ind.; Tallahassee, Fla., Albuquerque, N.M.; Stillwater, Okla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Cle Elum, Wash.
The 2021 NCAA Championship will be contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Hitt has played in three NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships and the hope of playing in a fourth helped fuel his return for another season.
"I've missed competing with my teammates every day," says Hitt. "It's something we take for granted in college having nine other guys to compete with every day, but after being away from it for nine months I realized how important that is. It will be fun to talk some trash and compete with them every day and I'm really looking forward to rejoining the guys and making a big push to bring a championship to Chapel Hill."
The three-day, 54-hole event is hosted by Florida State at Camp Creek Golf Club.
Carolina won its eighth and final tournament of the 2019-20 season, a 13-stroke victory on March 10 at the General Hackler Championship at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Within days of that triumph, the sports world, including collegiate golf, came to a sudden and season-ending halt. It will be 313 days since the shutdown when the Tar Heels tee off in the 2021 season opener.
For Andrew DiBitetto, it can't come a moment too soon.
"We waited a long time to be back together again in competition, and we couldn't be more excited," says UNC's fourth-year head coach. "Our guys have worked hard over the past year, and are ready to get rolling this spring as we chase after a national championship."
The Tar Heels won twice last season (the Turning Stone Tiger Invitational in Verona, N.Y., and the General Hackler), were runners-up at Notre Dame and finished fourth twice – at the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational and the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
UNC returns every member of the team from a year ago and adds freshmen Peter Fountain of Raleigh and Ryan Smith of Carlsbad, Calif.
Austin Hitt took advantage of the NCAA allowing last year's seniors to return to collegiate golf and is competing for a fifth season. The Lakewood, Fla., native owns the sixth-best career stroke average in school history (72.31).
"It was an easy decision to come back to school to finish what we started last year, and it gave me a chance to develop my game for another year before hitting the pro ranks," says Hitt. "I've improved a lot since we shut down last spring. I worked on the little things in my game. I started working on my technique with a new swing coach and am seeing some nice results."
Junior Ryan Burnett (Lafayette, Calif.) and senior Ryan Gerard (Raleigh) are two other Tar Heels poised for big seasons. Burnett was a second-team All-America and Haskins Award candidate a year ago; Gerard earned honorable mention All-America honors and joined Burnett on PING's all-region team.
Burnett won at Turning Stone (18-under 198) and added two seconds and a third-place finish, averaging 70.21 strokes, which was on pace to be the lowest ever by a Tar Heel in a season. His career average of 71.45 over 67 rounds is the best in school history.
Gerard set UNC's 18-hole scoring record at Notre Dame as a sophomore when he shot 61 in the final round. Last year, he averaged 71.08 strokes (which was on track to be the second lowest by a Tar Heel in a season) and his career average of 71.82 is the No. 2 in UNC history.
Sophomore Austin Greaser (Vandalia, Ohio) and junior Dougie Ergood (Mount Laurel, N.J.) also started last season. Greaser almost won right out of the blocks, finishing second to Burnett in his first collegiate tournament at Turning Stone with an 11-under 205. Last summer, he won the 2020 Northern Kentucky and Ohio Amateurs, claiming the latter at 18 under par, breaking by two strokes the tournament record previously held by British Open champion Ben Curtis.
Although all five starters from a year ago are returning, Carolina's depth is strong and competition for spots in the lineup will be intense and beneficial for both players and the team.
Fountain, the 2019 North Carolina 4-A high school state champion, played well on the amateur circuit last summer. He won the 2020 North Carolina Amateur, shared medalist honors in stroke play at the North and South Amateur, was the low amateur at the 2020 North Carolina Open and finished second in the 2020 Carolinas Amateur.
Senior Mason Elmore (Charlotte), junior Luis Castro (The Philippines), sophomores George McNeely (Carmel, Calif.) and Kenan Poole (Raleigh) and Smith are all capable of playing their way into the lineup. Qualifying for the Camp Creek Seminole Invitational begins this week.
"The fall was certainly unique," says DiBitetto. "Coach (Matt) Clark and I weren't allowed to be at any tournaments, but we were able to be together with the team for practices and workouts, which was beneficial for many reasons. Most importantly, the guys still had opportunities to compete in tournaments on their own throughout the fall semester."
Carolina's 2021 spring schedule could be looked at in thirds. The first three of the nine events will be new tournaments for the Tar Heels, the middle three are tournaments UNC is returning to play and the final three are championship golf.
Following the opener at Camp Creek, UNC will travel to La Quinta, Calif., to compete in The Prestige at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West. In early March, Wake Forest hosts an invitational at historic Pinehurst No. 2.
Later in March, UNC returns to The Dunes Club to defend its team title at the General Hackler. Burnett and Gerard were second and seventh, respectively, in leading UNC to a 21-under 843 finish.
On March 27-28, Carolina plays host to the Tar Heel Intercollegiate at UNC Finley, an event that was canceled last year due to Covid-19.
Finally, in mid-April, UNC returns to Phoenix for the Arizona State Thunderbird Collegiate. Two seasons ago, Hitt shot a second-round 67 and finished sixth in leading the Tar Heels to a fifth-place showing.
"We feel fortunate to have the schedule we do this spring," says DiBitetto. "We'll start in Florida against all ACC teams, which was the strongest conference in golf last year, and then head to The Prestige where we will compete on a great golf course against the best teams in the country. That will be followed by a tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 and then to the Hackler to defend our title. After that, we'll play at home, which is always significant for us, and then we'll finish our regular season playing desert golf one month before the NCAA Championship, which will also be played on a desert course near Phoenix."
The final third of the schedule includes the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship (April 23-26), NCAA Regionals (May 17-19) and NCAA Championship (May 28-June 2).
The ACC Championship debuts both a new format and venue at the Capital City Club in Woodstock, Ga. Previous team champions were crowned after 54 holes of stroke play. All teams will still play three rounds of stroke play, but the four teams with the best 54-hole totals will advance to semifinal and championship rounds of match play over two days.
"We were going to use the new format last year before everyone shut down," says DiBitetto. "We're really looking forward to it. The cut to four teams with match play should add even more excitement and intensity to a loaded and talented conference championship. It also helps ACC teams better prepare for the NCAA tournaments."
NCAA Regional sites are set for Noblesville, Ind.; Tallahassee, Fla., Albuquerque, N.M.; Stillwater, Okla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Cle Elum, Wash.
The 2021 NCAA Championship will be contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Hitt has played in three NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships and the hope of playing in a fourth helped fuel his return for another season.
"I've missed competing with my teammates every day," says Hitt. "It's something we take for granted in college having nine other guys to compete with every day, but after being away from it for nine months I realized how important that is. It will be fun to talk some trash and compete with them every day and I'm really looking forward to rejoining the guys and making a big push to bring a championship to Chapel Hill."
Players Mentioned
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