When all the scores were posted at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, the 30-foot putt for birdie on Finley Golf Club’s finishing hole was the winning putt. For Greaser, it’s his third collegiate victory and second in an NCAA regional. The three-time All-American previously claimed the title at the Yale Regional in 2022. His 13-under 197 total matches the UNC 54-hole record previously set by now-pro Ben Griffin in the 2017 Tar Heel Intercollegiate and leads North Carolina to its seventh consecutive NCAA Championship.
But emblematic of the game’s fickle nature, the putt on the 18th would not have mattered if it weren’t for what Greaser said was the luckiest break he’s ever gotten on a golf course on the previous hole.
He pulled his drive left of left into the trees on the par-5. The ball settled on a piece of bark connected to a tree that had recently been cut down. Greaser could not hit the ball. He also could not move the tree without affecting the ball. He thought he would have to take an unplayable lie and incur a one-shot penalty.
Instead, a rules official informed him the tree had been deemed ready for removal, and he was entitled to a free drop.
A huge break in a huge moment. Greaser had put himself in position with a chance to win, and the golfing gods smiled upon him.
He pitched out of the trees back into the fairway and hit his third short right of the green. Greaser made what was a challenging pitch shot to a front right pin look easy. He played it low into a slope, and the ball trickled onto the green 5 feet from the hole.
“I really rolled my putter well all week,” Greaser said. “I made a lot of putts, especially when it mattered.”
DiBitetto said Greaser is one of the best putters he’s ever seen. He made a long putt for a clutch birdie on 14. And he poured in the 5-footer for a miraculous par on the 17th.
Coming down the stretch, amidst uncertainty over where he stood in the tournament and the scramble on 17, Greaser stayed focused and remained in the present. His mentality on the golf course is rooted in his faith.
“Life’s not about good golf, life’s not about bad golf,” Greaser said. “At the end of the day, it’s awesome that it fell my way today. But I feel like there’s more to life than just golf.”
On the 17th after making a poor swing off the tee, he took a step back. He said he thought about how, no matter what happens, he’s still the same person after the round is over. He made the best of his predicament, making a great par save, and set the stage for the moment on 18.
A good drive down the left side in the fairway. A good approach to the heart of the green. Then the putt. A putt that mattered a lot but also didn’t matter.
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“I had a pretty good feeling that one was going in,” DiBitetto said. “Been around him a lot, and he gets a certain look in his eye. And I think both of us felt pretty good about the read. Love to see the putt drop and then love to see the emotion come out.”
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