UNC men's golf team wins final tournament of the fall

GREENSBORO — With the wind at his back, sophomore Michael McGowan launched a 3-wood onto the green with his second shot on the par-5 18th hole. He missed the 35-foot eagle putt that would have tied him for the lead, but his birdie put him at 13 under par for the weekend and all alone in third place.

Led by McGowan, the North Carolina men’s golf team dominated the field at the sixth-annual UNC-Greensboro Bridgestone Golf Collegiate, breaking a tournament record by finishing at 31 under par. No. 8 Auburn finished second, coming in seven shots behind the Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels set a tournament record in the second round with a team score of 20 under.

Senior Henry Zaytoun III carded a 65 Saturday afternoon that tied him with Auburn’s Blayne Barber and Michigan’s Lion Kim for the lowest round of the tournament.

The Tar Heels started the round Sunday at Forest Oaks Country Club with a six-shot advantage on Michigan, and UNC coach John Inman wanted his team to keep pushing through the final round.

“I just told them, ‘Let it come to you,’” Inman said. “‘We’ve been playing well this week, making a lot of birdies, just be patient and keep the pedal to the metal.’”

McGowan did exactly what his coach asked of him from the start. On his way to a final round 66, McGowan started Sunday by chipping in for birdie on the first hole.

“I chipped it, and it came out nicely,” McGowan said. “It started rolling toward the hole, and I looked down to put my club in my bag and when I looked up it was gone.”

McGowan also chipped in on the 17th hole on Saturday. Both Inman and McGowan said his short game helped make the difference this week.

Zaytoun and junior Jack Fields and tied for eighth place by each posting 6 under par for the tournament. Fields shot seven under par in his two rounds on Saturday to help build the Tar Heels’ lead.

“It was a good feeling coming down 18 and looking up at the scoreboard, and we have a seven-shot lead,” Fields said. “It takes a little of the pressure off.”

Finishing at 1 under for the week, senior Kevin O’Connell and sophomore Clark Palmer tied for 19th. All five Tar Heel scorers finished the tournament under par.

“These guys know how to win,” Inman said. “Every one of them has won at every level they have played at, and they know how to win golf tournaments.”

The UNC-G Bridgestone Golf Collegiate field had 14 teams. Five of the teams are ranked in the top 50, according to Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.

Forest Oaks Country Club was the host of the Greensboro PGA tour stop from 1977 to 2007.

This tournament was the last event of the fall for the men’s golf team, and they are looking to keep the victory’s momentum going through the winter.

“To win a tournament any time is a big thrill, and we haven’t played up to our potential this fall,” Inman said. “So things clicked this week, and some guys got some confidence and we’re going to carry that through to the spring.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.