The top-ranked UNC men’s golf team is off to a flying start in its quest for a national championship. The Tar Heels topped the field to win a rain-shortened Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational, the team’s first event of the season. UNC sat atop the leaderboard after two rounds, and Sunday’s third round was cancelled due to rain.

Georgia transfer Maxwell Ford (the twin brother of UNC’s David Ford) had quite the Carolina debut, shooting 67 on day one and 65 on day two to finish 8-under par and second in the individual leaderboard. Dylan Menante finished tied for 13th at 1-under par, with David Ford (21st), Austin Greaser and Kenan Poole (both tied for 26th) rounding out the UNC lineup.

Carolina was particularly strong on the second day of the tournament, shooting 11-under par as a team after shooting 1-over on day one. Four of five Tar Heels shot under 70, tying the fifth-best round in school history. UNC’s day two score of 269 and 36-hole score of 550 each broke tournament records.

Among the loaded field at the tournament were defending national champions Florida, 2022 national champions Texas and 2023 national semifinalists Georgia Tech (who defeated Carolina to advance to the championship match) and Florida State. Carolina finished comfortably in first place, six strokes ahead of the Longhorns.

The win is the 16th for the program under seventh-year head coach Andrew DiBitetto, and the second at Olympia Fields. The No. 1 Tar Heels will be back in action at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in Texas on October 2 and 3. UNC is the defending champion at the event.

 

Featured image via Illinois Athletics/Craig Pessman

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