The UNC men’s golf team didn’t miss a beat in its first event of the spring season. The Tar Heels set a school record for lowest score under par in a 54-hole tournament by finishing 68-under to win the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawai’i.

David Ford finished as Carolina’s leader on the individual leaderboard with a 17-under 199. He’s only the fifth Tar Heel ever to shoot under 200 in a tournament. Dylan Menante wasn’t far behind at 16-under after making six birdies in a row in the third and final round on Saturday.

UNC finished the first and second rounds atop the leaderboard, but fell behind surging Arizona State early in the third. Menante helped Carolina rally by shooting a 29 on the back nine, while Ford, Peter Fountain and Austin Greaser each finished the third round at five-under. Carolina shot 22-under as a team on the day to beat the Sun Devils by five strokes.

UNC’s total score of 796 is by far its best performance in a tournament, soaring past the previous record of 814 set in 2021. Its 68-under shattered the previous record to par of 49-under set in the 2017-18 season.

The win is Carolina’s fourth of the season and the 19th under head coach Andrew DiBitetto. The Tar Heels will return to the links for the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas between February 25 and 27.


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