Pirates Receive Invitation To NCAA Franklin Regional
May 05, 2016 | Men's Golf
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The East Carolina University men's golf team has received a bid to participate in the NCAA Franklin Regional at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., from May 16-18. The regional, hosted by Vanderbilt University, is one of six tournaments that will determine the participants for the 2016 NCAA Men's Golf Championships at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., from May 27 - June 1.
East Carolina garnered the No. 11 seed for its second consecutive regional bid and fourth in the last six years. ECU is one of 13 teams in the Franklin Regional competing for five spots in the NCAA Championships. The Pirates finished in ninth place at last year's regional tournament in Noblesville, Ind.
"This is a big achievement for our team," ECU Head Coach Press McPhaul said. "Getting to postseason was one of our goals and it's very gratifying to have accomplished that goal. We were inside the bubble as far as the rankings go, so I was a bit relieved to see our name come up on the screen."
The Pirates, who earned an at-large bid after finishing fourth at The American Championship Tuesday, will be joined on the par-72, 7,200-yard North course in order of seed by Texas, Vanderbilt, LSU, Washington, Virginia, Houston, Pepperdine, Kennesaw State, Michigan, Troy State, Tennessee-Martin and Georgetown.
The field also includes 10 individuals who will compete for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"I'm glad we got sent to Nashville," McPhaul said. "[The course] reminds me of the front nine at Ironwood and there isn't a big change in grasses, so I think we are prepared to play it."
East Carolina and Houston were two of four American Athletic Conference teams to receive an invitation. Tournament champion USF is the No. 3 seed at the Albuquerque Regional and Memphis was awarded the No. 7 seed at the Kohler Regional in Kohler, Wis.
The Pirates, who competed in their first NCAA Regional in 1991, will play 18 holes each of the three days, following a practice round on Sunday, May 15. The low five teams and low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.
This year marks East Carolina's fifth trip to regional competition as a team and represents the eighth time the program has sent at least one golfer to the regional round since the format was established in 1993.
The Pirates ended a 20-year absence from the NCAAs in 2011, when the squad finished ninth at the Virginia Tech Regional in Roanoke, Va. The following year, East Carolina finished second at the Athens Regional and advanced to the national finals for the first time.
ECU missed out on a team berth in 2013 and '14, but Eric Brady was selected to compete as an individual at the Raleigh Regional in 2014. Mike Teague participated as an individual in 1993 as did Harold Varner in 2010.
