Austin Greaser sank a 25-foot putt for birdie on the 17th hole Wednesday at the Atlanta Athletic Club to secure the third and winning point as the University of North Carolina’s men’s golf team defeated Florida State, 3-1-1, in the championship match in the East Lake Cup.
David Ford and Peter Fountain also won their matches for the top-ranked Tar Heels, who claimed their third tournament title in five starts this semester. UNC also won the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Williams Cup (and finished second in its other two tournaments, the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational and the St Andrews Links Collegiate).
Greaser defeated Gray Albright 2&1, David Ford beat Frederick Kjetterup 4&3 and Fountain won 4&3 over Tyler Weaver. Maxwell Ford added a half point as he tied FSU’s Luke Clanton.
Brett Roberts beat Kenan Poole 3&2 for the Seminoles’ full point.
The win was Carolina’s fourth in match play in the last two seasons. Last year, UNC edged Florida State, 3-2, to win the Jackson T. Stephens Cup and beat Arizona State, 3-1, in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Tar Heels advanced to today’s championship match by defeating Georgia Tech, 3-2, in Tuesday’s semifinal.
David Ford, the 2023 ACC Player of the Year, went out second and put the Tar Heels on the board as he won six holes, five of which he won with birdies. He birdied both of the par 5s on the front side for a 2 up lead, then birdied the 11th, 12th and 13th to win all three holes and take a 4 up advantage. He finished his match with a par 3 on the 15th hole.
Fountain, a first-team All-America in 2021, won the first hole with a birdie 3, won a pair of holes on the front nine with pars, birdied the 10th to go 3 up and eagled the par-5 12th hole to pull ahead by four. He also closed his match with a par on 15.
Greaser, a three-time All-ACC honoree and All-America, won six holes in his 2&1 victory. He made birdies to win the fifth, 12th and 14th holes and his lengthy championship-clinching putt on the 17th hole was for another birdie to halve the hole and end the match.
The East Lake Cup, which pits the four semifinalists from the previous season’s NCAA Championship, was the final tournament of the fall semester for the Tar Heels.
Georgia Tech beat Florida, 2-1-2, in the consolation match.
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