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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ
Men's Golf Head Coach Andrew DiBitetto Inks New Contract
December 19, 2023 | Men's Golf
University of North Carolina head men's golf Andrew DiBitetto, who has led the Tar Heels to top-five finishes in each of the last three NCAA Championships, has agreed to terms on a new three-year contract.
Carolina won three of its five tournaments in the fall, has three of the top 12 and four of the top 34 players in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings and is the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
Last year, DiBitetto (pronounced DEE-bih-TET-toe) became the fourth individual and first Tar Heel to repeat as ACC Coach of the Year. Carolina is one of five programs to advance from regionals to the last five NCAA Championships and joins Arizona State and Pepperdine as the only teams to qualify for match play in the national championship in each of the last three seasons.
"I greatly appreciate (athletic director) Bubba Cunningham's and the University's support and belief in our men's golf program and me," says DiBitetto. "We are having success due to a collective effort of so many people. I'm grateful for our student-athletes, past and present. We have incredible administrators, passionate staff that believe in building relationships and the development of young people, and amazing supporters that impact our program in so many ways. I also wish to thank my family, who like our players, make significant sacrifices so we can chase greatness every day."
The 2022-23 season was one of the most accomplished in Carolina history. The Tar Heels won five tournaments, including four of the highest-rated fields in all of college golf; finished first in stroke play, beat Arizona State in the quarterfinals in match play and finished tied for third in the NCAA Championship; and produced Carolina's first-ever ACC Player of the Year (David Ford) and four All-Americas and All-ACC players. Ford earned an automatic berth on the 2023 United States Walker Cup team and teamed with Austin Greaser on the U.S. squad that won the Palmer Cup.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Tar Heels set school records for stroke average (280.08) and score to par (-4.46).
"Thanks to a culture of excellence Andrew DiBitetto has developed within our program our men's golf team is competing at its most successful level in 30 years", says Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Our team has advanced to match play in each of the last three NCAA Championships, our student-athletes have excelled by winning individual and team titles while consistently performing well in the classroom and we are recruiting great individuals who represent Carolina in terrific fashion. Andrew is an outstanding leader, and we are pleased he will be coaching our men's golf program for years to come."
In DiBitetto's seven seasons as head coach, the Tar Heels have re-written the Carolina record book:
• finished 15th, 19th, T5th, T5th and T3rd in the NCAA Championships (no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic), the first time UNC has ever had at least two consecutive top-five finishes.
• was first in stroke play twice in the NCAA Championship (shared in 2022, outright in 2023) and twice in the ACC Championship (2021 and 2022).
• won 18 tournament team titles, including victories at Pasotiempo, Olympia Fields North, the Norman Course at PGA West, Eagle Point, Colonial Country Club, Seminole Golf Club, Floridian National Golf Club and Atlanta Athletic Club.
• won medalist honors 13 times, including two NCAA regionals, an ACC Championship, and wins at Olympia Fields North and Seminole.
• produced an ACC Player of the Year, two first-team All-Americas, two second-team All-Americas, four third-team All-Americas and six honorable mention All-Americas
• seven different Tar Heels earned 12 All-ACC awards, including three in 2021 and 2022 and a school-record four in 2023.
• Ford played for the Unites States in the Walker Cup, World Amateur Team Championship and Palmer Cup, Austin Greaser represented Team USA in the World Amateur Team Championship, Walker Cup and Palmer Cup and Dylan Menante played in the Walker Cup and earned a bronze medal in the Pan Am Games.
• Greaser was the 2021 United States Amateur runner-up and won the 2022 Western Amateur.
• Ford won the 2022 Southern Amateur and 2023 Jones Cup.
• in 2021, Peter Fountain won the ACC Championship and became the first Tar Heel freshman ever to earn first-team All-America honors.
• Greaser (2022) and Ryan Burnett (2023) became the first Tar Heels to win NCAA regionals.
• In 2022, Menante became the first Tar Heel to finish in the top 10 in the ACC Championship, NCAA regional and NCAA Championship in the same season.
• Carolina has shot 10 of the 13-lowest team rounds and all 10 of the best 54-hole scores in UNC history.
• individuals have produced seven of the 10-lowest rounds and nine of the 10-best 54-hole totals in UNC history.
• individuals have nine of the 10-best career scoring averages and nine of the 10-best single-season scoring averages in UNC history.
• the Tar Heels have scored a perfect 1000 in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rates every year DiBitetto has been the head coach, the longest current streak by any of UNC's men's teams.
• produced two PGA Tour players (Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard) and two Korn Ferry Tour professionals (Carter Jenkins and Austin Hitt).
Carolina won three of its five tournaments in the fall, has three of the top 12 and four of the top 34 players in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings and is the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
Last year, DiBitetto (pronounced DEE-bih-TET-toe) became the fourth individual and first Tar Heel to repeat as ACC Coach of the Year. Carolina is one of five programs to advance from regionals to the last five NCAA Championships and joins Arizona State and Pepperdine as the only teams to qualify for match play in the national championship in each of the last three seasons.
"I greatly appreciate (athletic director) Bubba Cunningham's and the University's support and belief in our men's golf program and me," says DiBitetto. "We are having success due to a collective effort of so many people. I'm grateful for our student-athletes, past and present. We have incredible administrators, passionate staff that believe in building relationships and the development of young people, and amazing supporters that impact our program in so many ways. I also wish to thank my family, who like our players, make significant sacrifices so we can chase greatness every day."
The 2022-23 season was one of the most accomplished in Carolina history. The Tar Heels won five tournaments, including four of the highest-rated fields in all of college golf; finished first in stroke play, beat Arizona State in the quarterfinals in match play and finished tied for third in the NCAA Championship; and produced Carolina's first-ever ACC Player of the Year (David Ford) and four All-Americas and All-ACC players. Ford earned an automatic berth on the 2023 United States Walker Cup team and teamed with Austin Greaser on the U.S. squad that won the Palmer Cup.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Tar Heels set school records for stroke average (280.08) and score to par (-4.46).
"Thanks to a culture of excellence Andrew DiBitetto has developed within our program our men's golf team is competing at its most successful level in 30 years", says Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "Our team has advanced to match play in each of the last three NCAA Championships, our student-athletes have excelled by winning individual and team titles while consistently performing well in the classroom and we are recruiting great individuals who represent Carolina in terrific fashion. Andrew is an outstanding leader, and we are pleased he will be coaching our men's golf program for years to come."
In DiBitetto's seven seasons as head coach, the Tar Heels have re-written the Carolina record book:
• finished 15th, 19th, T5th, T5th and T3rd in the NCAA Championships (no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic), the first time UNC has ever had at least two consecutive top-five finishes.
• was first in stroke play twice in the NCAA Championship (shared in 2022, outright in 2023) and twice in the ACC Championship (2021 and 2022).
• won 18 tournament team titles, including victories at Pasotiempo, Olympia Fields North, the Norman Course at PGA West, Eagle Point, Colonial Country Club, Seminole Golf Club, Floridian National Golf Club and Atlanta Athletic Club.
• won medalist honors 13 times, including two NCAA regionals, an ACC Championship, and wins at Olympia Fields North and Seminole.
• produced an ACC Player of the Year, two first-team All-Americas, two second-team All-Americas, four third-team All-Americas and six honorable mention All-Americas
• seven different Tar Heels earned 12 All-ACC awards, including three in 2021 and 2022 and a school-record four in 2023.
• Ford played for the Unites States in the Walker Cup, World Amateur Team Championship and Palmer Cup, Austin Greaser represented Team USA in the World Amateur Team Championship, Walker Cup and Palmer Cup and Dylan Menante played in the Walker Cup and earned a bronze medal in the Pan Am Games.
• Greaser was the 2021 United States Amateur runner-up and won the 2022 Western Amateur.
• Ford won the 2022 Southern Amateur and 2023 Jones Cup.
• in 2021, Peter Fountain won the ACC Championship and became the first Tar Heel freshman ever to earn first-team All-America honors.
• Greaser (2022) and Ryan Burnett (2023) became the first Tar Heels to win NCAA regionals.
• In 2022, Menante became the first Tar Heel to finish in the top 10 in the ACC Championship, NCAA regional and NCAA Championship in the same season.
• Carolina has shot 10 of the 13-lowest team rounds and all 10 of the best 54-hole scores in UNC history.
• individuals have produced seven of the 10-lowest rounds and nine of the 10-best 54-hole totals in UNC history.
• individuals have nine of the 10-best career scoring averages and nine of the 10-best single-season scoring averages in UNC history.
• the Tar Heels have scored a perfect 1000 in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rates every year DiBitetto has been the head coach, the longest current streak by any of UNC's men's teams.
• produced two PGA Tour players (Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard) and two Korn Ferry Tour professionals (Carter Jenkins and Austin Hitt).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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