2021-22 Men's Golf Roster
Austin Greaser
- Height:
- 5-11
- Weight:
- null
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Vandalia, Ohio
- High School:
- Vandalia Butler
through 2024 NCAA Championship
Career: 71.04 (No. 3 UNC career scoring)
Best Finish: 1st, 2021-22 Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, 2022 NCAA Yale Regional, 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
Low Round: 63, 2nd round, 2022 NCAA Yale Regional, New Haven, Conn.
Low Round to Par: -8, 2020-21 Turning Stone Tiger Invitational, Verona, N.Y., and 2022-23 Southern Highlands Collegiate, Las Vegas
Low UNC 54 Holes: 197, 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional (ties UNC record)
Low UNC 54 Holes (to par): -13, 2023-24 Amer Ari Invitational, 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
NCAA Championship Appearances: 2021 (T71), 2022 (T25), 2023 (T11), 2024 (T46)
Career: Played on 19 tournament-winning teams, more than other Tar Heel ever • One of two Tar Heels (with Peter Fountain) to start on four consecutive teams that finished in the top five in NCAA Championship play, the best four-year stretch in UNC history • Only the second time in ACC history a team finished in the top five in four straight NCAA Championships • Helped UNC finish first in stroke play in the 2021, 2022 and 2024 ACC Championships and 2022 and 2023 NCAA Championships • Member of UNC teams that posted the five-best scoring averages in school history • Earned four All-ACC and All-PING/East Region awards and was an All-America in each of his last four seasons • Joined Dustin Bray as UNC’s only four-time All-ACC honoree • GCAA and Golfweek second-team All-America in 2024, third team in 2023 and honorable mention in 2021 and 2022 • Won three times and had 14 top 5s and 21 top 10s in 52 collegiate starts • No. 3 in UNC history in stroke average (71.04) • One of two Tar Heels (with David Ford) to play 100 or more rounds with a cumulative score below par (-34 over 156 rounds) • Has three of the 10-best single-season scoring averages in UNC history, including a personal-best 70.47 in 2023-24 • Three-time medalist, twice making birdie on the last hole to win • Won twice as a junior at Olympia Fields (holed out from the fairway for birdie on the final hole) and the NCAA Yale Regional • Collegiate-best 63 in the second round at Yale • Won the 2024 NCAA Chapel Hill Regional with a 30-foot birdie on the last hole • Shot a combined 36 under par in four NCAA regionals with two victories and four top-11 finishes • Shot in the 60s in eight of his last nine rounds in NCAA regional play, including 66-65-66 to win the Chapel Hill Regional, where he became the first Tar Heel ever to shoot 66 or better in all three rounds in any tournament and tied the 54-hole UNC record for fewest strokes in any tournament (197).
Member of United States winning teams in the 2023 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup • Helped U.S. to a 14.5-11.5 win in the Walker Cup at the Old Course at St Andrews with a 3&1 win over Liam Nolan in the Sunday singles match • Finished third in 211-player field in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship near Paris, France • Led Team USA at 15-under 271 and was one of only two players to shoot all four rounds in the 60s • Teamed with 2022 NCAA champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt and Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen to lead Team USA to third place • Shot 68-67 in two rounds at Le Golf National, site of 2018 Ryder Cup.
Won the 2022 Western Amateur, defeating Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina (Arkansas) 1 up in the championship match at the Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill. • Fourth Tar Heel to win the Western Amateur, joining Greg Parker (1986), John Inman (1984) and Frank Fuhrer (1981) • Made the cut at 2 over par in the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. • Was one of four amateurs and 64 overall in the 156-player field to make the cut at the U.S. Open • Missed the cut at the 2022 Masters by three shots after shooting 74-77–151 • Runner-up in the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club • Lost 2&1 in the 36-hole championship match to Michigan State’s James Piot.
2023-24: Second-team All-America (PING/GCAA and Golfweek) and All-ACC • Finalist for the Haskins Award • Finished No. 3 in PGA TOUR University standings to earn a season-long exemption on the Korn Ferry Tour • Won his second NCAA regional, making birdie on the final hole to shoot 13-under 197 to win the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional • Led UNC to its seven tournament wins, including UNC’s first ACC title since 2006, its fourth straight appearance in match play and top-five finish in the NCAA Championship and a No. 3 final team ranking • No. 13 nationally in Scoreboard’s individual national ranking • Led Carolina in scoring average (70.47), cumulative score to par (-29), score to par per round (-0.81), birdies (147), rounds under par (21), rounds in the 60s (15) and percentage of rounds counted (32 of 36, 88.9%) • Made a downhill 30-foot birdie on the final hole to win the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, shooting 66-65-66 for 13-under 197 • The 197 total matched UNC’s 54-hole record and was the best ever in an NCAA regional by a Tar Heel • Became the first Tar Heel to shoot 66 or better in all three rounds in any tournament • Went 4-1 in match play, going 2-0 and leading UNC to wins in both the East Lake Cup and ACC Championship • Regional was one of four top-5 finishes (T3 Williams Cup and ACC Championship, fifth at Valspar).
2022-23: Third-team GCAA and Golfweek All-America • Earned PING/East Region and All-ACC honors for the third straight season • Palmer Cup Team USA selection • Semifinalist for the Hogan Award • Tied for 11th at the NCAA Championship at even-par 280 • Shot 69-66 over the final 36 holes • Made an ace (his second as a Tar Heel) on the 184-yard, par-3 5th hole in the fourth round at Grayhawk • Entered the NCAA Championship No. 5 in the PGA Tour University rankings but withdrew to return to college in 2023-24 for a fifth season • Stroke average of 70.85 matched his season best as a Tar Heel and ranks tied for eighth in UNC single-season history • Played 13 under par over 33 rounds • Low round of 64 in the first round at Southern Highlands in Las Vegas • Shot par or better in 23 rounds with 11 in the 60s • Four top 10s with a season-best T3 at the Ben Hogan Collegiate at Colonial • Shot 70-66-68 for a 6-under 204 at the Hogan • Shot two rounds in the 60s four times (Hogan, Stephens Cup, NCAA Salem Regional and NCAA Championship) • Season-best 10 under par at the NCAA Salem Regional • Carolina’s top finisher three times • Final rankings of 19 Golfstat and 23 Golfweek/Sagarin.
2021-22: Two-time medalist • Earned honorable mention All-America (GCAA and Golfweek), All-PING East Region and All-ACC honors for second straight year • Third on the team in stroke average (70.85), the fifth-best in UNC history, and score to par (-16) • Scoring average to par (-.47) was the sixth best by a Tar Heel in the Golfstat era since 1994 • Par-3 scoring average of 2.99 was the best by a Tar Heel in the Golfstat era • Led UNC with 17 rounds in the 60s and was second in rounds under par (22) • Five top-10 finishes • Shot at least one round in the 60s in all 11 tournaments in which he played and finished under par in eight starts • Final rankings include No. 41 (Golfweek) and No. 52 (Golfstat) • Medalist at Olympia Fields (4-under 206) and the NCAA Yale Regional (10-under 200) • Also fourth at the Williams Cup at Eagle Point (6-under 210) and T-9 at both the Blessings (3-under 213) and Watersound (3-under 213).
Holed out a 7 iron from 168 yards for a birdie on the final hole to clinch the title on the Olympia Fields North Course • His birdie was only the 10th on the 18th hole in the tournament and he was the only competitor in the 81-player field to shoot under par in all three rounds (69-68-69) • Became the first Tar Heel to win an NCAA regional, shooting 68-63-69 for 10-under 200 at the Yale Golf Course • Edged teammate Ryan Gerard and Wake Forest’s Alex Fitzpatrick by a stroke • Tied UNC records for a regional with second-round and 10-under finish and set UNC regional record with 200 total • The 63 equaled the second-best 18-hole score ever in any tournament by a Tar Heel • Tied for 25th at the NCAA Championship after a final round 1-under 69 • Defeated Pepperdine’s William Mouw, in the NCAA quarterfinals • Birdie on the 17th hole gave him a 2&1 win over Mouw • Lost on the 19th hole in the ACC semifinals to Wake Forest’s Mark Power.
2020-21: Earned honorable mention All-America (coaches), All-ACC, All-East Region and Academic All-ACC honors • Stroke average of 71.32 is the eighth best in UNC history • Second on the team in stroke average, rounds under par (13 of 28), rounds in the 60s (10), score to par (+7), birdies (91) and record (538-163-34) • Had five top 10s and seven as a Tar Heel • Tied for fifth at the ACC Championship at 4-under 206, becoming one of only three Tar Heels ever to shoot in the 60s in all three rounds at the ACC Championship (68-66-68) • Defeated eventual National Player of the Year John Pak of Florida State 4 & 3 in match play in the ACC Tournament • Shot 67-69 over the final two rounds to tie for eighth at Pinehurst No. 2 • Was two shots off the lead through 50 holes at the NCAA Noblesville Regional before finishing tied for 10th at 3-under 213 • Rallied to earn a tie against Cameron Sisk of Arizona State in his NCAA quarterfinal match after trailing early by three holes.
2019-20: Started all eight events and posted the third-lowest scoring average on the team at 72.08 • Finished second in his first college tournament, shooting an 11-under 205 (71-64-70) at Turning Stone that helped UNC win the team title • Shot 8-under 64 in his second college round • The 64 equals the seventh-best round ever by a Tar Heel • Sixth at Notre Dame with 4-under 209 (68-70-71) • Shot two rounds in the 60s (67 in the first, 69 in the third) to help lead UNC to the title at the General Hackler • Had the fourth-best scoring average among ACC freshmen • Had two top-10s and four top-20 finishes.
Prep/Amateur: Advanced to the round of 32 in the 2023 U.S. Amateur • Second in the 2021 U.S. Amateur (details in career section) • Won the 2022 Western Amateur, making a 3-foot par to halve the 18th hole and beat Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira in the championship match • Tied for 15th place in stroke play in the 156-player field and advanced to match play by earning one of two spots in a seven-way playoff • Also defeated Matthis Besard of Belgium 3&2 in the round of 16, Kelly Chinn of Duke 1 up in the quarterfinals, Andrew Mouw of Pepperdine 3&2 in the semifinal. • Had reached the semifinals of the 2021 Western Amateur • Shot a career-best 62 to win the 2021 U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Edgewood Country Club in Charleston, W. Va. • Shot a 6-under-par 65 in the morning round of the qualifier, then made nine birdies, nine pars and no bogeys in the afternoon to shoot 62 • Won the 36-hole qualifier with a 15-under 127, six shots clear of the field • Won the 2020 Ohio Amateur at 18 under par, breaking the tournament record by two strokes (previous record held by Ben Curtis), and the 2020 Northern Kentucky Amateur • 2019 Rolex Junior All-America • Played for Coach Christian Koenig at Vandalia-Butler High School, where he was the top-ranked player in Ohio • Was the 10th-ranked senior in the country in the Rolex Rankings and the 22nd-ranked player overall • Named the 2019 Miami Valley Golf Association (Dayton area) Junior Player of the Year • Two-time all-conference and Greater Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year • Won or tied for medalist honors in every tournament his senior year except for the state championship, where he finished second by a single stroke • Quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness • Qualified for the 2019 U.S. Amateur by sharing medalist honors at the Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio • Won the 2016 Optimist Junior World Championship and the 2018 AJGA Justin Thomas Junior Championship • A 2018 AJGA Rolex honorable mention Junior All-America • Also won the 2018 AJGA Preview at La Purisima and the Golfweek Junior Tour event at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio, and junior tournaments in Lexington, Ky., Phoenix and Nashville in 2017.
Personal: Born Austin Greaser on Sept. 9, 2000, in Dayton, Ohio • Son of Michael and Lisa Greaser • Likes to play basketball and baseball • Hobbies include fishing, ping pong and spending time at the lake • Favorites include Italian food and hamburgers, Impractical Jokers (TV show), country music and relaxing anywhere on a lake (vacation spot) • Favorite course is Oakmont • Favorite golfer is Dustin Johnson • Go-to club under pressure is his putter • Best shot was a chip from the back of the green to help save par on the final hole to win the Western Amateur.
