Chapel Hill native excels in 1st season

After knocking his approach shot to within a few feet of the pin, Jonathan Jackson strolled down the 18th fairway toward the green at the UNC Finley Golf Course.

But before he stepped onto the putting surface to finish off an all-but-certain par, the junior briefly stopped to chat with some friends stationed alongside the hole.

In the world of collegiate golf, a couple of greenside supporters might seem like a lot to most players.

Then again, Jackson is not like most players. He's a Chapel Hill native who has returned home to play for North Carolina after a two-year stint at South Carolina.

"Going away to college, trying to get away from home, felt better," Jackson said. "But I wasn't as comfortable (at South Carolina), so I came back here."

While Jackson said he likes being back in Chapel Hill, it's UNC that's really feeling good about his return.

"We lost Dustin Bray," said teammate Martin Ureta. "He was our best player, and now he's a pro. So we needed a new guy, and J.J.'s been playing great in the last few tournaments, so he's helped us a great deal."

At the Franklin Street Partners Invitational on Saturday, Jackson carded a 5-under par 67 to tie a UNC season-low and help propel the Tar Heels into first place.

Jackson followed up his stellar Saturday with a 1-under final round of 71, good for a third place individual tie.

UNC coach John Inman said he expects Jackson to exhibit the same level of play throughout the season.

"He's a very accomplished player, and he's really coming into his own now," Inman said. "He's from Chapel Hill, loves being back home and has a really no-nonsense game."

Still, Jackson is the first to admit his own shortcomings - most notably his short game. He missed several makeable putts Sunday and generally thought that his play around the green was not up to par.

"Short game and putting - they've been good, but they just haven't been good enough to shoot low numbers," Jackson said. "I hit the ball pretty well, got it around the greens, but just once I get there I haven't been as good as I think I can be."

Despite the admittedly lackluster short game, Jackson maintains some lofty goals. "Hopefully, I'll turn pro and try to do as well as I can there," Jackson said. "I'd like to play on the PGA Tour, but everybody says that. I'd like to just be successful."

In the meantime, Jackson hopes to build on his success thus far.

"I just want to keep playing well, keep playing consistently and just keep playing every tournament," he said. "Hopefully (I'll) get some top finishes and keep playing as well as I did here."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.