Ryan Burnett leads North Carolina to Calusa Cup title
Ryan Burnett (UNC Athletics photo)
The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to roll.
Behind medalist Ryan Burnett, the second-ranked Tar Heels won the Calusa Cup title on Tuesday at the Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Fla., marking the team's second win in as many outings and its fifth team title of the season.
At 4-under 860, the Tar Heels finished 10 strokes ahead of second-place Wake Forest and were 11 clear of third-place Arizona State. Top-ranked Vanderbilt, playing without NCAA individual champion Gordon Sargent who is playing in this week's Masters, was 21-back at 17-over.
Burnett, a fifth-year senior from Lafayette, Calif., went wire-to-wire for the second individual win of his career. He carded rounds of 68-71-72 to finish at 5-under 211, which was good for a two-stroke win over Michael Brennan of Wake Forest and Vanderbilt's William Moll. Moll made five birdies on his outward nine to take a one-stroke lead, but Burnett birdied the 13th to regain the lead and parred the final five holes.
The win is Burnett's first since September of 2019 at the Turning Stone Invitational in Verona, N.Y. According to UNC Athletic Communications, Burnett is the first Tar Heel to win medalist honors three seasons apart since current PGA Tour member Ben Griffin won twice as a freshman in 2014-15 and once as a senior in 2017-18.
Sophomore David Ford and senior Austin Greaser posted Carolina's low scores on the day with final rounds of 2-under-par 70. Dylan Menante (73-74-72) and Peter Fountain (74-71-74) tied for ninth place at 3-over 219.
The Tar Heels will get a taste of the Arizona desert in preparation for an anticipated deep run in the NCAA Championships when they close out the regular season at the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate, April 14-14 in Phoenix.
ABOUT THE The Calusa Cup
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by the
University of Iowa. Team (best four scores out of five
players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information