Men's Golf Heads to Historic Pinehurst No. 2

The Carolina men's golf team, fresh off a share of the team title at The Prestige at PGA West, returns to action at historic Pinehurst No. 2 in the Wake Forest Invite at No. 2.

The 13^th-ranked Tar Heels are the second-highest ranked team among 11 scheduled for 36 holes on Monday, March 1, and 18 more the following day.

Wake Forest, ranked second by Golfstat and fourth by Golfweek, is the tournament host. The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons are joined by ACC rivals Boston College, Duke, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech as well as Augusta, Davidson, ECU and Furman.

No. 2 has long been considered the home of golf in the state of North Carolina and one of the most famous and prestigious courses in the world. Originally designed by Donald Ross in 1907 and restored by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore in 2010, No. 2 has hosted three U.S. Opens, a Women's Open, Senior Men's Open, NCAA Championship, four U.S. Men's and Women's Amateurs, a Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, two PGA Tour Championships and is the annual home of the North & South Amateur.

"With so many college golf seasons and tournaments canceled in the fall, new tournaments and opportunities had to be created to play this spring," says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto. "That's how the Camp Creek tournament was arranged in January and this is what happened with this new event at Pinehurst No. 2. Credit goes to Wake Forest and the Pinehurst Resort for quickly organizing the tournament."

On February 17, the Tar Heels finished 4 under par to tie fourth-ranked Arizona for first place in a 24-team field on the Greg Norman Course in La Quinta, Calif., edging No. 2-ranked Arizona State by six shots and No. 6 Pepperdine by a stroke.

Fifth-year senior Austin Hitt, who will not play at No. 2 as he is playing in a MacKenzie Tour qualifier, sank a 25-foot birdie putt on UNC's final hole to earn the tie. Hitt and Ryan Burnett, who shot a final-round 67 and also birdied the 18^th hole, tied for fourth place in the individual standings at The Prestige.

Burnett shot 69-74-67 for an overall 3-under 210. The 2020 second-team All-America lowered his UNC career best stroke average to 71.39.

Joining Burnett in the UNC lineup at No. 2 is freshman Peter Fountain (Raleigh, N.C.), sophomore Austin Greaser (Vandalia, Ohio), senior Ryan Gerard (Raleigh, N.C.) and junior Dougie Ergood (Mt. Laurel, N.J.).

"We are excited to play close to home at one of the best and most iconic courses there is," says DiBitetto. "Most of our guys have previously played tournaments at No. 2, but it's always been in the summer with firm and fast conditions. This week will be different with it being wet and cooler. The field is great and it's always fun to compete against your rivals, but this golf course demands you respect every inch of it. Our full focus and attention will be on Pinehurst No. 2."

Players Mentioned

Ryan Burnett

Peter Fountain

Austin Greaser

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