UNC men's golf advances to the NCAA Championship with second-place finish at regionals

The No. 5 North Carolina men’s golf team finished second in the 2022 NCAA Yale Regionals on Wednesday. 

What happened?

On Monday, the Tar Heels teed off in the NCAA Yale Regionals in New Haven, Conn. 

At the end of Day One, UNC was tied for fifth place at seven-under 273. 

Senior Ryan Gerard led the way for the team, shooting a season-best 65, tied for second place in individual standings. His five-under 65 was his career-best postseason round. 

On Tuesday, the top-seeded Tar Heels looked to improve their score. 

The team shot 13-under-par 267 on the day to put them in second place. The 267 was the second-best stroke total in UNC history. 

Junior Austin Greaser shot a seven-under 63 on the day, to tie the second-lowest round by a North Carolina golfer. This round also tied the 18-hole UNC record for an NCAA regional and was a career-best for Greaser.

Gerard also had a monster second day, shooting his second 65 of the regional round to claim the lead. With this performance, he became the first UNC golfer to have multiple 65s or better in NCAA regional history.

At the end of Day Two, the Tar Heels trailed the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by one shot.  

On Day Three, the Tar Heels finished second, seven strokes behind Wake Forest, to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship. North Carolina finished the regional at 19-under 821, which is a school record for an NCAA regional round. 

Greaser won the second collegiate tournament of his career, becoming the first ever Tar Heel to win a regional round. This was his career-best shooting at 200, which ties the North Carolina regional record at 10-under par. 

Who stood out? 

Greaser, coming off of competing in the Masters, won the regional round for his second collegiate tournament win.

Gerard finished second in the regional, shooting nine-under 201. Gerard and Greaser are the first Tar Heel teammates to finish in the top two of an NCAA regional.

Greaser was going to have to step up for UNC to finish in good standings, and Gerard played out of his mind to go along with Greaser. In addition to these performances, ACC Freshman of the Year David Ford finished even for the three days, to tie for 25th. 

When was it decided?

The second day was huge for the Tar Heels, as they shot 13-under to put themselves in second place. On Day Three, North Carolina shot one-over-par, which kept them in second place. 

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship. The top five teams made the next round and UNC did just that by finishing in second place. 

While it was clear that UNC wasn’t going to slip past fourth, the Tar Heels’ one-over-par performance on Wednesday, after shooting 13-under-par 267 on Tuesday, was a little surprising. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will tee off on May 27 at the Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the NCAA Championship.

@RileyKennedy25

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