Season preview: UNC men's golf turns to upperclassmen for improvement

The North Carolina men’s golf team will begin the fall portion of its schedule this weekend in the Rod Myers Intercollegiate at Duke University Golf Course. Here’s what to expect from the Tar Heels this year.

How do they play?

North Carolina returns four starters from last year’s team that won one event and went to the NCAA Arizona Regional.

However, the Tar Heels did suffer a somewhat unexpected loss over the offseason as would-be senior Carter Jenkins decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and turn professional.

Last season, Jenkins led the team in stroke average as well as rounds under par as he claimed three top-10 finishes.

The Tar Heels will be looking to both veterans and newcomers to replace Jenkins and lead the charge in 2016-17.

Who stands out?

Ben Griffin and William Register, juniors: Griffin and Register share very similar situations heading into the 2016-17 season, as both suffered sophomore slumps after fantastic first-year campaigns.

Register’s stroke average increased by almost a full stroke as he went from winning two events as a first-year to zero as a sophomore.

Meanwhile, after posting the lowest recorded stroke average of any UNC golfer in 2014-15, Griffin’s average fell to fifth best on the team in 2015-16.

Now the pair will be expected to break out of their slumps and lead the team.

Austin Hitt, first-year: The lone first-year on the team, 2015 Florida 3A state champion and top-20 recruit, Hitt will be looking to make an immediate impact.

Coach Andrew Sapp is confident that Hitt’s championship pedigree and work ethic can help turn the Tar Heels into contenders.

Jose Montaño, junior:

The junior transfer from Xavier comes to Chapel Hill with an impressive resume that includes two event wins, three runner-up finishes, and a top-25 individual NCAA Regional finish.

Montaño has both the ability and experience to push his way into the starting five.

Biggest tournament?

As always, the most important events occur at the end of the season.

The Tar Heels will look to prove that they are among the conference’s elite this year when they compete in the ACC Championship in New London, North Carolina in April. This year’s field should be a good one, as five ACC teams enter the season ranked in the top 25.

The NCAA Regionals from May 15-17 will give UNC an opportunity to win a spot at the NCAA Championships should the team play well enough to qualify.

Biggest weakness?

If North Carolina wants to make the leap from a good team to a great team it will need to play with more consistency.

This was never more evident than in the 2016 ACC Championship, when a disastrous first round sank the team’s chance at a conference title. UNC finished eighth in the tournament despite shooting the best round on the final day.

Why could they win it all?

Championship teams usually rely on one of two things: Experience or talent.

It is undeniable that UNC has both of those qualities on this team. Whether the Tar Heels can use their experience to make the best use of their talent on a consistent basis remains to be seen.

However, should the Tar Heels figure out how to do this, they can challenge any team in the country.

@The_Belshe

sports@dailytarheel.com