The college golf season is here for major programs in North Carolina.
The UNC men, impressive in a second-place finish in a powerhouse, 18-team field earlier this month in Hawaii, begin play Monday in The Prestige, a 24-team event including Stanford, Pepperdine and Northwestern at PGA West in LaQuinta, California.
The Tar Heels enter the 54-hole event after shooting a school-record 59-under-par total at Mauna Lani North in Hawaii. Oklahoma State won the tournament by five strokes. Rounding out the top five were Texas, Auburn and Oregon.
Cary native Hampton Roberts, opened the tournament with 11-under 61 and eventually lost a playoff for medalist honors. The rest of the UNC lineup consisted of brothers David and Maxwell Ford, Austin Greaser and Grant Roscich. Keaton Vo and Ethan Paschal replace Greaser and Roscich this week.
The N.C. State men, who won the Battle at Brier’s Creek earlier this month in Charleston, South Carolina, begin play Monday at the 12-team Watersound Invitational in Panama City, Fla.
Michael Vick shot 7-under 209 at Brier’s Creek to tie for medalist honors. Nick Matthews of Mebane tied for sixth at 211.
The 12th-ranked Wake Forest women got off to a slow start Sunday at the 54-hole Moon Invitational in Melbourne, Florida. Wake was 11th in the tough, 17-team field after Sunday’s opening round.
Florida State, the leader, shot 2-under 286 to lead Wake by 11 strokes. Carolina Chacarra led the Demon Deacons with 73. Macy Pate, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, shot 76.
