The fourth-ranked Carolina men’s golf team faces a challenging golf course and loaded field when the Tar Heels compete at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational Monday and Tuesday at the Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.
UNC senior Dylan Menante is the defending individual champion, shooting 14-under 199 last March to take the title by one stroke over Florida State’s Frederik Kjettrup. Menante, who was playing for Pepperdine, shot 64-65-70 for his first of two consecutive tournament titles (he won in his next start at the Western Intercollegiate).
The Tar Heels are one of six top-10 and nine top-30 teams in the tournament. No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 4 UNC, No. 7 FSU, No. 9 Pepperdine and No. 10 Texas headline a stalwart lineup of teams competing for the title.
Carolina’s lineup includes David Ford, Austin Greaser, Ryan Burnett, Menante and Peter Fountain. Kenan Poole will also compete as an individual entry.
Ford and Greaser were sixth and 11th, respectively, in the Palmer Cup’s Team USA rankings. The top six players automatically earn spots on the U.S. Palmer Cup team, which will compete in June at the Laurel Valley Golf Club.
The Tar Heels start four players ranked by Golfstat in the top 100, including No. 9 Ford, No. 13 Greaser, No. 45 Burnett and No. 76 Menante.
Menante also led the Waves to the team title at the 2022 Valspar. Pepperdine shot 34 under to beat the Seminoles by 14 strokes. Carolina shot 9-under 275 in the middle round to finish seventh at 11 under.
Burnett, who shot 67 in each of the first two rounds, and Ryan Gerard led UNC with a pair of 10th-place showings at 6-under 207.
UNC is competing for the first time in a month since leading after 18 and 36 holes before finishing fourth at 16-under 848 in Las Vegas at the Southern Highlands Collegiate. Ford and Greaser tied for fifth place at 8 under.
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of North Carolina Athletics…