Tee 2 Green with Barry Sharpe - - May 31/09

When the sun comes up Monday morning over Canada golfers from the Maritimes to Vancouver Island will be able to stand on a first tee anywhere and proudly proclaim, "The number one amateur golfer in the world is a Canadian, 20-year-old Matt Hill of Brights Grove, Ontario."

Yes, that also happens to be the former home of 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, the man who defeated Tiger Woods one-on-one in the last Presidents Cup.

And now Hill, a medalist this past Thursday at the NCAA Championship, also has a connection with World Number 1 Tiger Woods. Hill and Woods  (1996) are the only players in U.S. college history to have ever won a conference, regional and national title in the same year.

This was Hill's fifth consecutive tournament victory, his eighth of the 2008/09 season as a sophomore with the North Carolina State WolfPack golf team and his summer season is just getting underway.

Understandably so, Hill was still a little giddy when he spoke with Barry Sharpe at BC Golf News this past Friday during an RCGA international media telelconference.

MattHillNCAAchamp052909.mp3

Hill plans to take a few days off to rest and enjoy his victory before gearing up for a June 8 U.S. Open sectional qualifying event in Columbus, Ohio.

His NCAA victory earned him exemptions into the U.S. and British Amateurs as well as at least one Nationwide Tour event. He can almost certainly be assured---RCGA Executive Director Scott Simmons said as much Friday---that he'll be given an excemption into the PGA TOUR's 100th RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Ontario July 23-26.

Despite his success and the likely endorsement opportunities available to him, Hill said he intends to play his final two years at N.C. State.

"For the next two years, I can continue to get better," Hill said. "I don't quite feel ready to be a pro right now. Playing college golf and amateur golf will help me get better."

Hill now has a total of nine career college victories. His first win came in the 2007-08 campaign when he won the Hootie at Bull's Bay Intercollegiate championship.

The acholades for Hill will continue for weeks. He has been named a Division I PING All-America first team selection and has now earned All-America status in each of his first two seasons with the Wolfpack, becoming the seventh NC State golfer to earn the distinction at least twice in his career. A total of 19 golfers have earned All-American honors 30 times at NC State.

Hill won eight college tournaments during the 2008-09 school year – the previous ACC record was five in one season. Although there is no official NCAA record for most wins in a season, it is believed that Hill has now established the new mark.

Matt Hill Statistics - - 2008/09

13 Tournaments
8 Wins
11 Top 10s
13 Top 20s
36 rounds – average score 69.9
                    
Matt Hill Record for 2008/09
   
1 – 4 - - Maryland Intercollegiate, Sept. 6-7
2 – 1 - - Hartford Hawks Invitational, Sept. 28-30
3 – 14 - Bank of Tennessee, Oct/ 24-26
4 – T6 - Rice Intercollegiate, Feb. 16-17
5 – T12 Puerto Rico Classic, Feb. 27-Mar. 1
6 – 1 - - General Hacker Championship, Mar. 8-9
7 – 1 - - Chris Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational, Mr. 20-22
8 – T5 - Hootie at Bull's Bay Intercollegiate, March 29-31
9 - 1 - - River Landing Intercollegiate, Apr. 10-11
10 1 - - Atlantic Coast Conference, Apr. 18-19
11 1 - - Big Four, May 11
12 1 - - NCAA Regional Championship, May 14-16
13 1 - - NCAA National Championship, May 27-29

Matt Hill Statistics - - 2007/08

11 Tournaments
1 Win
5 Top 10s
7 Top 20s
71.4 Scoring Average

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Using a match play format for the first time, the NCAA team final at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio brought together two schools that had never finished higher than fourth in the history of their programs.

And talk about drama . . .

After loosing the previous four holes to Arkansas' Andrew Landry, Texas A&M's Bronson Burgoon stood over his ball nestled deep in the rough and 120 yards from the 18th and final hole. Then, with a go-for-broke swing with his gap wedge, the Aggies' No. 1 player watch as his ball soared into the wind and landed on the green, miraculously tracking toward the hole and finally coming to rest a mere 3 inches from the cup. Landry conceded Bugoon's birdie, then missed his 35-foot birdie attempt, allowing No. 15 ranked Texas A&M to win the match 3 & 2 and the 112th National Team Championship.