After a long grind of a season that started back on September 4, 2022, the North Carolina Tar Heels Men’s Golf team was defeated in the Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. While the Tar Heels have had two individual championships (Harvie Ward and John Inman in 1949 and 1984 respectively), they still seek that elusive team national championship.
An Impressive Season For The Tar Heels
The Tar Heels started their season in Notre Dame, Indiana where they competed with 14 other teams for the Fighting Irish Classic, ultimately finishing third. Across the next eight months, they competed in ten more tournaments across the country. From their backyard at Pinehurst to the wonderful Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Tar Heels were determined to make history this season.
Led by sophomore David Ford, senior Austin Greaser, fifth-year senior Ryan Burnett, and transfer senior Dylan Menante, the Tar Heels were dominant this season. In the nine regular-season tournaments they competed in, they emerged victorious in five of them. To the surprise of no one, all four magnificent golfers received GCAA All-America honors, with Ford making the first team and Greaser, Burnett, and Menante all making the third team.
Falling Just Short
After a disappointing CC Championship that saw them finish 6th out of 12 teams, the Tar Heels headed to Salem, South Carolina for Regionals, where third place was just enough to see them advance to Scottsdale for the NCAA Championships. After four days and 72 holes of stroke play to determine seeding, the Tar Heels entered the elimination round with the number one overall seed.
In the quarterfinals, they faced off with the hometown favorite Sun Devils of Arizona State. In the elimination round, the rules switch from stroke play to match play meaning that each team’s top players match up against one another. With the Tar Heels sporting a top-heavy roster, this structure seemed to play right into their hands, as the Tar Heels cruised past Arizona State 3-1 to set up a showdown against ACC rival Georgia Tech in the Semifinals.
Despite getting victories from both Ford and Menante, neither Burnett nor Greaser could pull out their matchups meaning North Carolina’s chances would come down to number five Peter Fountain. Fountain fought hard until the end but fell just short on the 18th hole, giving Georgia Tech the upset victory.
What’s Next?
With three seniors and Ford, a sophomore, as perhaps the most promising prospect of them all, it is fair to ask what’s next for the North Carolina Tar Heels golf team. They surely will have to regroup and bring in the next set of stars to carry the Tar Heels forward. Despite falling short, however, this was the Tar Heels’ third consecutive season finishing near the top of the country. It is safe to say that things are looking up for the Tar Heels’ golf program
