Another strong field has been assembled for the Bryan National Collegiate tournament.
The 19th annual event, co-hosted by Wake Forest and UNC Greensboro, is scheduled April 1-3 at Bryan Park’s Championship Course.
Virginia, which won last year’s event after a playoff with Wake Forest, is one of four top-30 teams (Golfweek’s rankings) scheduled to participate. The others are Miami, Notre Dame and North Carolina State.
The 15-team field also includes North Carolina, East Carolina, Cal State-Fullerton, Central Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina.
Last year’s event required two extra holes before Virginia prevailed. It was the Cavaliers’ second title in the last three years. It was the second playoff in tournament history and first since Duke edged Tennessee in 2012.
For many schools, it will be the final regular season tune-up before conference tournaments.
The ACC Women’s Tournament will be played a couple weeks later at Sedgefield Country Club’s Donald Ross Course.
Hicks posts another second
Jacob Hicks began his final semester at East Carolina by picking up where he left off in the fall.
Hicks, a senior from Mebane, shot 69-73 and claimed second place in the Savannah Quarters Intercollegiate, an individual 36-hole event played Feb. 8. He finished a shot off the pace of Dillon Woods of North Florida and one ahead of Corey Carlson of Florida State and Brad Curren of USC-Beaufort in the 49-player field.
Hicks ended the fall season with a career-best 8-under 205 (70-66-69) for second place in the Elon Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club. His effort led ECU to a 23-shot victory in the 16-team event.
In 28 career events, Hicks now has four top-10s and has an overall scoring average of 74.5.
Thompson notches 12th top-5
Ashlii Thompson, a junior from Brown Summit, opened the spring season with her 12th career top-five finish at UNC Pembroke.
Playing in the Tusculum/Kiawah Island Intercollegiate, Thompson ended in a tie for fifth with a pair of 78s. The Braves, who are ranked 26th in Division II, placed fifth in the 16-team tournament.
Thompson now has 21 top-20 finishes in 27 career events including two wins.
Tar Heels third in spring opener
William Register, a sophomore from Burlington, provided counting scores all three days as North Carolina opened the spring schedule with a third-place finish in the Sea Best Invitational at Pete Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Florida, the fifth-ranked team in the country, captured the Feb. 1-2 event in dominating fashion. The Gators had the low score in each of the first two rounds (265-278) while building a huge lead and closed with 283 to win by 23 shots over Liberty.
North Carolina, ranked 11th, tied for third with Arkansas, 32 shots off the pace with 283-279-296.
Tar Heel freshman Joshua Martin finished third among individuals with 64-68-75. Florida players took the top two spots.
Register was second for North Carolina and tied for 23rd overall with 72-71-74.
