HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Senior Keith Egan (Newbridge, Ireland) has joined some of the greats in program history as he makes his third overall appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament and becomes the first player in team history to earn a pair of individual berths, as announced on Friday, April 28.
 
For the second straight year, Egan will be one of just 32 student-athletes competing as an individual nationwide and will play in the NCAA Division II South/Southeast Regional in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Hosted by North Alabama, that regional will be played from May 8-10.
 
He makes his third overall trip after tying for 32^nd out of 108 golfers at last season's regional and qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Tournament with the team. That year he was the Lakers' second highest finisher as he shot a two-over par 74.
 
Egan joins PGA Tour professional Will Wilcox (2007-09), Wade Binfield (2008-10), Brennan Cass (2000, 2002, 2003) and Dave Kelly (1998-2000) as the only other Clayton State golfers to qualify for three NCAA Tournaments in their careers. Additionally, Kelly is the only Laker to make four straight trips to a regional tournament as he qualified for the NAIA Championships in the program's final year at that level in 1997.
 
This year Egan has continued to excel as he leads the team with a 73.23 stroke average and five Top-10 finishes. Highlighting those efforts was his first collegiate championship, a win at the Southern Tide Classic (3/7) in which he shot a one-under 215 that included a team-low tying round of 67 on the final day.
 
He also shot eight-under to tie for fifth at the third Annual UNG Fall Invitational (10/4) and three-under to tie for eighth at the season opening Jay Jennison Cup (9/20). Most recently he tied for eighth at the Peach Belt Conference Championships (4/16) with a third day surge but his most important rounds of golf came in his outing directly before that.
 
From March 27-28 he played in the South/Southeast Regional Preview in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, site of his upcoming third NCAA Tournament appearance. Not only did he take the course, he shot a par 216 to tie for 10^th out of a field of 96 golfers and fired off a 69 in Round 2.
 
In order to be selected to play as an individual, a student-athlete must be from a team that did not qualify for the tournament and be one of the top four golfers in their region. This year he was selected behind Nick Stafford (Belmont Abbey), Adam Lumley (Coker) and PBC individual champion Matt Elliott (North Georgia).
 
Egan is the fifth Clayton State player to qualify as an individual and the first to do so twice, and in consecutive years at that. The others that have made a trip to the NCAA Tournament as an individual are Binfield (2010), Wilcox (2007), Matt Beall (2005) and Cass (2002). Wilcox delivered the highest finish at eighth in his appearance.
 
Regionals will be held from May 8-10 at the Robert Trent Jones Trail - Fighting Joe course and be hosted by North Alabama. At a minimum, the top three teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional (regardless of region) will advance to the finals from May 22-26 at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Florida.
 
Clayton State Men's Golf Individual National Qualifiers (6 Selections/5 Individuals)
2017 (Muscle Shoals, Ala.)
Keith Egan
 
2016 (Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.)
Keith Egan (T-32^nd)
 
2010 (Wilson, N.C.)
Wade Binfield (T-66^th)
 
2007 (Savannah, Ga.)
Will Wilcox (8^th)
 
2005 (Columbus, Ga.)
Matt Beall (T-27^th)
 
2002 (Sneads Ferry, N.C.)
Brennan Cass (31^st)