April 20, 2003

Results

NEW LONDON, N.C. - Two of the greatest comebacks in the history of Atlantic Coast Conference men's golf took place in the final round of the 50th annual championship at the Old North State Course at Uwharrie Point. North Carolina's Richard Tries, a junior from Baden-Baden, Germany, walked away with the individual crown with a two-under-par 70 while Wake Forest's Bill Haas, the individual leader after each of the first two rounds was finishing up with a four-over 76. Haas who had rounds of 69 and 68 the first two days, entered the third round with a four-stroke lead over Treis.

The Clemson Tigers raced away with the team championship. Down by nine shots with six holes to play, the Tigers unleashed a barrage of birdies while the Deacons struggles. Sophomore Jack Ferguson's birdie on the finishing hole was the crowning blow. Without the birdie the team title would have ended in a tie between Clemson and Wake Forest. Carolina finished third, three strokes behind the Deacons.

Clemson coach Larry Penley said, "I have been in a lot of tournaments, but I have never won like this." Wake coach Jerry Haas responded, "What can I say, Clemson put it all together on the back nine and we couldn't stay up with them."

Treis' victory gave the Tar Heels their second individual title in a row and their 13th overall. Dustin Bray, who won here last year, finished in a tie for ninth place with Clemson's D.J. Trahan.

Treis was five-over on the front, but caught fire on the back. He had five birdies coming in along with a couple of bogeys. His first birdie was at No. 11, but he gave it back with a bogey at No.12. He had three straight birdies at 14, 15 and 16 before a three-putt bogey on 17, but his birdie at 18 insured his victory.

"When I made that last birdie putt, I didn't know what it meant," Treis said after the round. "All of us in my group struggled the first nine holes. I was just thinking about getting through with a decent score. Coming into the tournament, I felt like I could finish in the top five, but didn't dream I'd win. It was tense down the stretch. Coach (Inman) did a good job at calming me down and keeping me focused."

Tar Heel head coach John Inman was disappointed Carolina, which was one shot out of lead going into the final round, did not claim the team title, but was proud of his team nonetheless.

"I am really proud of them," Inman says. "They played well throughout the tournament."

Inman was especially proud of Treis and the way he played down the stretch.

"He had three birdies at 14, 15 and 16 and three-putted 17 (for a bogey)," says Inman. "On No. 18, he hit a great driver right down the middle of the fairway, hit a superb four-iron where he was looking, chips to within three feet and makes a birdie - just like you're supposed to do and he did it under pressure.

"It was a joy to see," Inman continues. "He has worked so hard, not just on his game, but physically. He's so much stronger now than he used to be. He's just doing the right things and it's paying off.

Haas had three bogies and a double on the front side to go with a single birdie to make the turn with a five-over 41. He had a single birdie and eight pars on the back for a one-under 35 for his round of 76.

The team championship was the seventh for the Tigers, who also shared one title. It was the first crown since the win by the 2000 team.

Clemson's winning score was a one-over-par 865 with Wake Forest second at 866. North Carolina finished in third place at 869. Georgia Tech, the winner the past two years, finished fourth at 881, followed by Duke at 892, N.C. State at 900, Virginia at 902, Florida State at 917, and Maryland 919.

Carolina picked up three Carlyle Cup points by finishing ahead of Duke in the conference championship.