Men’s golf falls short against ACC opponents in tournament

All Coach Andrew Sapp wanted to talk about Tuesday was the snow in Chapel Hill, which would be unsurprising if not for the fact that he and the North Carolina men’s golf team were still in Puerto Rico.

Coming off of a two-tournament win streak, the Tar Heels finished in ninth place in the Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday, behind a few ACC foes: Georgia Tech in second, Clemson in sixth and Virginia Tech in eighth. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs from Georgia took home the top prize.

It was sophomore Henry Do from Canton, Mich., who led UNC at the Rio Mar River Course, finishing tied for 11th at two-under-par for the tournament.

Freshman phenom Ben Griffin also joined the top 20, finishing tied for 19th after struggling the first day with a five-over 77.

“I was a little underprepared after some bad weather in Chapel Hill last week,” Griffin said.

“It definitely limited my preparation, but I learned from this and definitely came back stronger in the final two rounds.”

The Tar Heels faced curbed practice times last week with the snowstorm that hit the Triangle area, having to play indoors and hit off mats for most of the week.

Do said last week’s weather played a factor in the team’s rough start but was something he was used to as a Northerner.

“Hitting off mats is something I’m used to, being from Michigan,” Do said. “For the team in general, it was definitely pretty tough, though.”

After the end of the first round, UNC was toward the back of the pack — 13th out of 15 teams — an area the team is unfamiliar with.

Sapp said the first round cost the Tar Heels the tournament, but it also helped the team develop a new mentality of playing from behind.

“I told them after round one that the best thing we can do is try to win each day,” Sapp said.

“We played much improved during the final two rounds as a team — that’s all you can ask for.”

As the final round was coming to a close, UNC sat at nine-under-par for the day, its best of the tournament.

But the final three holes presented a challenge for the Tar Heels as they shot 12-over-par as a team, causing them to slide in the tournament’s final standings.

“Those last few holes really hurt us,” Sapp said. “It left a bitter taste in our mouths.”

This UNC team has shown signs of greatness with three wins on the year, and even after a rough outing in Puerto Rico, it still has its sights set on competing at the highest level.

“I think we’re all looking forward to the ACC Championships and hopefully winning as a team,” Griffin said.

“The wins we have had this season were huge for us and prove what we’re capable of.”

sports@dailytarheel.com