The NC State men’s golf team will host the 2018 NCAA Raleigh Regional at Lonnie Poole Golf Course this week, one of six regionals in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
The Wolfpack will enter the regional as the No. 6 seed, after taking eighth place at the ACC Championships back in April.
It will be the 10th time in the last 11 years the Pack has hosted an NCAA Regional.
NC State will rely heavily on junior Stephen Franken, who was named as the ACC Men’s Golf Player of the Year after posting one of the best individual seasons in Wolfpack golf history. His round average of 70.29 ranks as the second-best for NC State all-time. Franken is also a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award.
Franken finished in sixth place at the ACC Championships with a team-best score of a 10-under par 206. Fellow junior Justin Hood also turned in a strong performance at the ACC Championships, logging a score of nine-under par and finishing in eighth place.
Georgia Tech, California, Texas, Arizona State and Duke are among the other teams competing in the regional with the Wolfpack.
Georgia Tech enters as the top seed after winning the ACC Championships and is ranked No. 5 nationally. The Yellow Jackets also had a conference-best four golfers named to the All-ACC team.
The other teams rounding out the field are Liberty, Missouri, Santa Clara, Campbell, Middle Tennessee, Augusta, Davidson and Iona. Since there are 14 teams, five individuals from various schools will also be competing.
The 54-hole, stroke-play event begins Monday, May 14 and runs through Wednesday, May 16. After 54 holes are completed, the top five teams and an individual competitor will advance to the NCAA Championship finals.
NC State begins on the 10th tee in a group with Arizona State and Duke starting at 8:00 a.m. Monday.
