For the second time this season the Tar Heels compete with a third consecutive team title on the line. Winners the past two weeks at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in Palm City, Fla., and the Calusa Cup in Naples, Fla., Carolina tees off Friday in the first two rounds of the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate in Phoenix, Ariz.
In addition to the second-ranked Tar Heels and No. 5 Arizona State, the field includes No. 19 Arizona, No. 27 Baylor, New Mexico, Notre Dame, No. 21 Oklahoma State, Oregon State, SMU, No. 13 Texas, No. 3 Texas Tech and Utah.
Carolina’s regular starting five will compete at the Papago Golf Course – sophomore David Ford, senior Austin Greaser, fifth-year senior Ryan Burnett, senior Dylan Menante and junior Peter Fountain.
Burnett was the Calusa Cup medalist in Carolina’s previous start, leading after each round and taking home his second collegiate victory with a 5-under-par 211.
UNC’s victory at Calusa was its fifth of the season, which marks the first time the Tar Heels have won five team titles in a season since winning six in 1984-85. It is the fourth time UNC has won five or more titles in one season – winning seven in 1982-83, six in 1984-85, five in 1978-79 and five to date in 2022-23.
Carolina has also won this season at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas; the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Juno Beach, Fla., the Williams Cup in Eagle Point, N.C.; and Valspar.
The Tar Heel lineup in Phoenix features players who rank in the top four all-time in UNC stroke average – Ford is the new leader (70.13), followed closely by Greaser (71.21), Burnett (71.39) and Fountain (71.43).
Menante is in his first season as a Tar Heel after playing three at Pepperdine, where he was two-time conference player of the year, and has a career average of 71.07.
Ford and Greaser are ranked in the top 10 in college golf and No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Ford heads to Phoenix ranked fourth by both Golfstat’s and Golfweek/Sagarin, while Greaser is ninth in Golfstat and 10th in Golfweek/Sagarin.
With the win in Naples, Burnett climbed up to 17 in Golfweek/Sagarin. Menante is 11th in the WAGR.
Last year, Oklahoma won the ASU Thunderbird title at the at 31-under 821, five shots clear of Arizona State.
Sun Devil James Leow shot 67-66-66 for a 14-under 199 to win…
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