No. 20 UNC men’s golf finishes 2nd in Tar Heel Intercollegiate

The No. 20 UNC men’s golf team finished second at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate this weekend.

What happened?

Originally, the Tar Heel Intercollegiate was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but the first two rounds were played Friday because of Hurricane Mathew. These two rounds would be the only ones played as Sunday’s third round was cancelled because of extremely wet grounds.

Still, North Carolina put up a solid performance over the 36 holes played, and UNC found itself in second place after shooting a 5-under par 283 in the first round.

Junior William Register lead the team in the first round, firing in four birdies en route to a 3-under par 69. Three other Tar Heels also shot under par in the round to place North Carolina only two strokes behind UNC-Wilmington.

In the second round, senior Zach Martin and sophomore Joshua Martin kept UNC afloat. The brothers were the only Tar Heels to score under par in the round. Zach shot a 3-under par 69 while Joshua shot a 1-under par 71.

But North Carolina’s round score of 287 wasn’t enough to overcome UNC-Wilmington.

The Seahawks took first place with a two round score of 567. UNC finished three strokes behind at a 6-under par 570.

Who stood out?

For the first time in their collegiate careers, brothers Zach and Joshua Martin both found themselves in the starting lineup. The family connection paid off for the Tar Heels, as the brothers posted the team’s two best performances.

Zach Martin’s two round score of 141 earned him a tie for fifth place individually while Joshua Martin’s 142 placed him in a tie for eighth.

Had it not been for the Martins’ consistency, UNC would’ve struggled to place so high in the tournament.

When was it decided?

With the tournament being shortened to two rounds, it was extremely difficult for the Tar Heels to make up ground after falling behind in the first. This problem was compounded by the fact that only two North Carolina golfers — the Martin brothers — shot under par in the second round.

Why does it matter?

After a pair of 4th place finishes to open the season, the weekend’s performance adds to a strong start to 2016 for UNC. Though they will be disappointed not to take first place at their home course, the Tar Heels can nonetheless be proud of their play, especially given the unique challenges of a shortened tournament.

Where do they play next?

North Carolina will head to Windermere, Florida to compete in the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 16-18.

@The_Belshe

sports@dailytarheel.com