Eight of Golfweek’s top 50 teams confirmed for CCU’s Hackler tournament

The 15-team field has been announced for Coastal Carolina’s 15th annual General Hackler Championship from March 11-13, being played for the second consecutive year at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

There is only one change to the schools CCU coach Kevin McPherson had verbal commitments from in May, as Charleston Southern, ranked 45th in Golfweek magazine’s college team rankings, has replaced No. 22 Louisiana State University.

Charleston Southern is one of eight teams in Golfweek’s current top 50. The others are No. 6 North Carolina, No. 20 Virginia, No. 24 South Carolina, No. 29 East Carolina, No. 38 N.C. State, No. 42 and defending champion North Florida, and No. 43 Texas A&M.

Others in the field are host CCU, Charlotte, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Iowa State, Kent State, Virginia Tech and Winthrop.

North Florida has returned three of the five golfers who won the 2015 team title by 12 strokes over N.C. State.

Winthrop junior Zach Seabolt of Raleigh, N.C., and Iowa State junior Nick Voke of New Zealand were two of three players who shared the 2015 Hackler individual title at 4-under 212 and are expected to return in search of a second title.

Virginia junior Derek Bard, North Carolina junior Carter Jenkins and North Florida senior Taylor Hancock, ranked Nos. 26, 34 and 37 individually by Golfweek, will be among their chief challengers.

The tournament is open to spectators.

The Hackler has become a weekend event this year rather than the Monday-Tuesday tournament it has traditionally been, and a college-am on March 11 is part of the event and allows four amateurs to play with a top player from a participating school.

Foursomes are $1,350 with a hole sponsor sign and $1,200 without, and are nearly sold out. Interested prearranged teams can call Chanticleer Athletic Foundation director of development Rhett Graham at 843-349-6610. Entry includes adidas apparel, prizes, and an awards banquet and dinner.

“We want to make this a top-five national tournament, and we feel we’re on the path to doing that,” Graham said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Eight of Golfweek’s top 50 teams confirmed for CCU’s Hackler tournament."