Men's Golf Begins Williams Cup Monday In Wilmington

The North Carolina men's golf team is paired with Georgia and Vanderbilt Monday in the first two rounds of the Williams Cup presented by STITCH at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington.

The 10-team field will begin play in a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

Carolina's Austin Greaser and Ryan Gerard, both of whom have won individual titles this year, will begin their rounds on the first hole. Peter Fountain starts on the second, freshman David Ford on the third and Dougie Ergood on No. 4.

Five Tar Heels playing as individual entries are also in the field. George McNeely, Kenan Poole, Ryan Smith, Ryan Burnett and Luis Castro will start their rounds on the 10^th through 13^th holes. Those five are paired with UNCW's starters and five other individuals.

Michigan State, Indiana and NC State are paired together as are Louisville, Iowa and Houston.

"We are thrilled to be hosting the first-ever Williams Cup at Eagle Point," says head coach Andrew DiBitetto, whose Tar Heels are ranked third in the nation by Golfstat. "It will be very special to have Roy and Wanda with us during the tournament. The course is absolutely amazing right now. Eagle Point will present a fair but challenging test for all players, especially with the greens being as fast as they are. Overall, we are confident this will be an incredible event that all players and coaches enjoy."

UNC is hosting the tournament to honor the contributions and support the Williamses have provided to Carolina, UNC Athletics and the men's golf program.

An added bonus is a Korn Ferry Tour exemption into the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh next June for the individual medalist.

Seven of the 10 teams in the tournament are currently in the top 50 nationally in Golfstat's rankings, including UNC (3), Georgia (29), Michigan State (31), Vanderbilt (32), Indiana (34), Louisville (35) and NC State (41).

Seven of the nation's top 75-ranked golfers are teeing it up at Eagle Point. Gerard, Carolina's fifth-year senior from Raleigh, headlines the field at No. 7 in the country.

Iowa's Ronan Kleu is 18^th, Greaser is 20^th, Louisville's Jiri Zuska is 36^th, NC State's Maximilian Steinlechner is 58^th, Gerogia's Nic Cassidy is 60^th and UNC's Peter Fountain is 67^th.

The Williams Cup is the fourth and final event of the fall season for the Tar Heels. UNC won at Duke and Illinois and tied for fourth at Arkansas.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Burnett

Dougie Ergood

David Ford

Peter Fountain

Ryan Gerard

Austin Greaser

George McNeely

Kenan Poole

Ryan Smith