The North Carolina men’s golf team finished sixth in a 14-team field over the weekend, finishing with an even par in the Thunderbird Invitational.
What happened?
The tournament, held in Phoenix, Az., featured five teams in the top-25 and 10 top-50 teams in the country, according to the most recent Golfstat poll. Arizona State, the host and second-ranked team in the country, won the whole thing easily as they posted a -20 score.
The other teams that finished in front of the Tar Heels were the Texas (-8), UCLA (-7), Arizona State’s B team (-2), and Oklahoma State (-2).
North Carolina posted scores of 288, 281 and 283 in its three rounds, respectively.
Who stood out?
Despite coming up short of a victory, there were a few notable performances that deserved attention. Austin Hitt ultimately finished tied for sixth, as he recorded scores of 72,67 and 70 —good for four-under. This was the junior’s fifth time finishing in the top-six this season and his third time achieving this feat in the last four starts.
He sunk four birdies on the front nine and notched another one on the 12th hole before bogeys at holes 13 and 18 dropped him down to a tie for sixth and finish at 209 for the tournament.
Right behind Hitt was senior Joshua Martin, who shot a three-under at 210 for the tournament, putting him tied for eighth place. He improved as he progressed through his three rounds, shooting a 71, 70 and a 69. In the final round, he birdied on holes one and three but gave up those strokes later on the front nine. On the back nine, Martin birdied holes 13 and 15 to solidify his spot in the top-10
