Men's Golf Top-Ranked Team in Field at the Blessings

Fourth-ranked Carolina men's golf competes October 4-6 in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational presented by Tyson Foods.

The unique format of this week's start features men's and women's teams from 10 programs playing two tournaments on the same course over the same three days at the Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Ark., site of the 2019 NCAA Men's and Women's Championships.

The Tar Heel men's and women's teams are joined by host school Arkansas and Arizona, Houston, Illinois, Louisville, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas Tech and UCLA.

The Golf Channel will broadcast all three days with pre-round coverage at 3:30 p.m. and live action from 4-7 p.m.

The Tar Heels went from No. 1 to No. 4 in Golfweek's latest rankings (10/1), but remain the highest-ranked team in the field at the Blessings. The Razorbacks are eighth, Texas Tech is No. 10 and Illinois (29) and Louisville (40) are also in the top 50.

"We are very excited to compete in the Blessings Collegiate, as it will be unique in many ways," says head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "It will also be great to hopefully have some national television exposure with the Golf Channel airing all three rounds. The Blessings is a difficult and demanding golf course and one that requires a player's full attention on each shot. Our team very much looks forward to the challenge."

Carolina has won the team and individual titles in its previous two starts this season. Ryan Gerard, currently ranked No. 4 in the country, won at Duke when the Tar Heels posted a three-stroke win over NC State in the Rod Myers Invitational. Austin Greaser (ranked No. 23) was medalist at Olympia Fields, leading Carolina to a three-shot victory over Arizona State.

The wins were the first on the collegiate level for both Gerard, a fifth-year senior, and Greaser, a junior.

Carolina has won its first two tournaments in a season for the first time since 1996.

Joining Gerard and Greaser in the lineup at the Blessings are freshman David Ford, sophomore Peter Fountain and senior Ryan Burnett, Carolina's all-time leader in stroke average, who is playing for the first time this season.

Burnett (71.49) and Gerard (71.88) are one-two in stroke average with Greaser (71.48) ready to join the list as the Blessings will be his 20^th collegiate tournament, the minimum number of events necessary to qualify.

Gerard has shot in the 60s five times in six rounds this season and leads UNC in stroke average at 68.50. Greaser has four rounds in the 60s and is second at 69.83. Ford (70.33) has two top-10 finishes in his first two collegiate events.

DiBitetto will be leading the Tar Heels in their first tournament since agreeing to a five-year extension through 2026 that was announced this past week.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Burnett

David Ford

Peter Fountain

Ryan Gerard

Austin Greaser

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University of North Carolina Athletics