MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., March 8, 2016 – In just a few short days, some of the nation’s premier NCAA Division I men’s golf teams will make their way to Myrtle Beach for the 15th Annual Coastal Carolina Hackler Championship. The Hackler Championship, which has become one of the top collegiate tournaments in the Southeast, will be held at the renowned Dunes Golf & Beach Club on March 12-13. Fifteen teams, including seven teams listed in the latest Golf Week NCAA Top-50 Collegiate Rankings, will compete for this year’s title.
Leading the list of teams is 13th-ranked University of North Carolina. The full list includes: Coastal Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, East Carolina University (ranked No. 38), Iowa State University, Kent State University, Charleston Southern University, North Carolina State University (No. 46), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (No. 13), University of North Florida (No. 36), University of South Carolina (No. 24), Texas A&M University (No. 37), University of Virginia (No. 27), Virginia Tech and Winthrop University.
Zach Seabolt, a junior at Winthrop University and last year’s individual champion, returns this year looking to defend his title. Last year, Seabolt carded a three-round total of 4-under 212 to earn a three-way tie for first. He will face stiff competition from the University of Virginia’s Derek Bard, the University of South Carolina’s Matthew NeSmith and the University of North Carolina’s Carter Jenkins. Bard, NeSmith and Jenkins are ranked 41st, 43rd and 47th in the country, respectively, by Golf Week.
The University of North Florida took home the team win at last year’s Hackler Championship, besting the UNC Tar Heels by 12 strokes. North Florida will have an experienced lineup to rely on when they return three golfers from the championship squad.
The weekend’s festivities kick off with the Collegiate-AM Tournament on Friday, March 11. Select collegiate golfers and local golf teams from Myrtle Beach and surrounding communities will partner together and play 18 rounds to help raise money for the Coastal Carolina Athletic Department.
The General Hackler Championship began in 2002 and has become a staple tournament for colleges across the region. Gen. James Hackler played in events on the local, national and international level, and was the Club Champion at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club. Gen. Hackler was an avid supporter of the golf programs at Coastal Carolina University. He endowed a scholarship for the men’s golf team and was instrumental in developing a PGA Golf Management program for the university.
This is the second year in a row that the Hackler Championship will be held at the nationally ranked Dunes Golf and Beach Club. With beautiful ocean views, the Dunes Club is featured in multiple top 100 lists and has hosted many golf tournaments including PGA Tours.
About The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Founded in 1947 by Myrtle Beach area businessmen, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club offers the best in both golf and service. The club owns a decades-long record of hosting prestigious high-level amateur and professional golf tournaments, including the Southern Amateur, PGA Tour Qualifying, the Senior Tour Championship and the United States Women’s Open, on its world-class Robert Trent Jones design.
For more information about The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, visit www.thedunesclub.net or call (843) 449-5914.
Contact:
Kyle Oland, KOland@thebrandonagency.com, (843) 848-2120
Paul Hughes, PHughes@thebrandonagency.com, (843) 916-2000
Covering the business of golf!
