The No. 2 North Carolina men’s golf team finished on top of NCAA championship stroke play at 6-under-par after four rounds, earning them the top seed heading into the first round of match play at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
UNC’s performance, which fluctuated over the top five places during the 72 holes, was led by dynamic performances from senior Dylan Menante, senior Austin Greaser and junior Peter Fountain.
Menante had a solid performance to open stroke play for the Tar Heels, racking up eight birdies in the first day of play. The senior from California was the highest individual finisher for the Tar Heels, placing tied for fourth.
Fountain took up his dominant mantle in the following round shooting a season-low 67, with the only dark spot on the scorecard being a single bogey on the back nine.
Greaser led the Tar Heel charge on the final day of stroke play, finishing tied for 11th in the individual open. The senior had an ace on hole five and shot a 4-under-par 66 to help propel the Tar Heels to the No. 1 seed for match play.
The Tar Heels total for the four days of matchplay — 1,114 — was a UNC record for the lowest 72-hole total in NCAA championship play. The previous record was also at Grayhawk last year with a score of 1,134.
“I'm just really proud of our guys, most proud of the process they've gone through that has created the success so far this week and all season,” UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto said. “Grayhawk is a very difficult, demanding golf course. Our guys have done a really nice job just trying to be smart and keep it as simple as possible.”
With their top seed, the Tar Heels faced the Arizona State Sun Devils for match play quarterfinals on Tuesday morning. The Tar Heels advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday evening.
