Men’s Golf Wins Stephens Cup

Dylan Menante made a pair of 18-foot putts on the final holes, including one for birdie on the first extra hole, and Ryan Burnett and Austin Greaser also won their matches to lead the University of North Carolina men’s golf team to a 3-2 win over Florida State in the championship match at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup Wednesday at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.
 
Menante lost the 16^th hole to fall one behind Frederik Kjettrup, but saved par with an 18-footer on the 17^th to draw even and sank another 18-foot birdie putt on the 19^th hole to give UNC its first point. Menante had kept his match all square on the 15^th by sinking his shot from a greenside bunker to halve the hole.
 
Greaser was 1 down through 12, but won the 13^th hole to tie the match and the 15^th and 16^th holes to defeat Patrick McCann, 2&1.
 
Burnett dominated his match winning the fifth, sixth, 10^th, 12^th and 15^th holes to beat Brett Roberts, 5&3. His win on the 15^th hole gave UNC its third team point for the tournament title.
 
David Ford, who was the medalist in the tournament’s 54-holes of stroke play which were contested Monday and Tuesday, was defeated 1 up by FSU’s Luke Clanton, who shot 29 on the back nine. Ford won his first collegiate title on Tuesday by four strokes 16-under 200 total. His 200 total included a 62 in the second round when he made eight consecutive birdies and came within two strokes of the course record at Seminole.
 
Cole Anderson earned FSU’s second point with a 1 up win over Peter Fountain.
 
Carolina and Florida State advanced to the championship match by finishing in the top two spots in stroke play. The Tar Heels were the top seed after shooting 43-under 821, 20 strokes clear of the ‘Noles.
 
The Tar Heels’ 43-under-par finish was the second-lowest score to par in UNC history.
 
The Stephens Cup is Carolina’s second straight win. The Tar Heels won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, eight days ago.
 
UNC concludes the fall portion of its schedule Oct. 21-23 at the Williams Cup presented by STITCH Golf at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington.