April 2, 2005

AUGUSTA, GA. - For once, sand traps and streams weren't the only hazards facing the Carolina men's golf team. Dangerous winds and inclement weather turned the course at Forest Hills Golf Club from difficult to nearly impossible. Only one out of ninety golfers finished under par as East Tennessee State's Rhys Davies fired a two-under 70 to open up a two stroke lead on Georgia's Chris Kirk and host school Augusta State's Scott Jamieson. Thomas Hagler of Alabama garnered fourth place after a two-over seventy four on a day that allowed nearly as many double and triple- bogeys as birdies.

Carolina, with a 29-over 317 combined score, sits in a tie for eleventh with Southern Cal. East Tennessee St. has the lead at 15-over followed closely by Augusta State at 16-over, Georgia Southern at 17-over and Georgia at 20-over. Notre Dame at 22-over rounds out the top five. Fellow ACC schools Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, Clemson and Virginia Tech are also competing. The Tar Heels are just one shot behind the tenth place Blue Devils.

Junior Ted Smith and sophomore Martin Ureta led the way for Carolina with a pair of five-over 77s. Their scores were good enough to place them in a five-way tie for seventeenth. Jonathan Jackson, Matt Crenshaw, and Doug Kingston also competed for the Heels posting round one totals of 80, 83, and 84, respectively.

The afternoon's round two was postponed due to the dangerous weather conditions. The Invitational will tee off again at 8 a.m. Sunday morning concluding with second and third rounds at the 7231-yard Forest Hills Golf Club.

**TarHeelBlue.com**