2017 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship Selections

FERRUM, Va. -- Ferrum College senior Brandon Bailey will get to extend his collegiate career with an appearance in the 2017 NCAA Div. III Men's Golf Championships. Bailey is one of five players from across the nation selected for individual berths, and will be one of 215 total competitors.

This year's NCAA Championships will be held held Tuesday through Friday, May 16-19, at Mission Inn Resort & Club, in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. The tournament is being co-hosted by Oglethorpe University and the Central Florida Sports Commission.

A senior from Vinton, Virginia, Bailey is Ferrum's third individual participant in the NCAA Div. III Championships. Matt Jordan was the first, placing 44th at the 1993 NCAA Tournament, held at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Ed Alvarez placed 13th and earned All-American honors at the 1997 NCAA Tournament, held at The Medallion Club in Westerville, Ohio.

Ferrum has qualified once as a team for the NCAA Div. III Men's Golf Championships, in 1995, when Coach Ray Corron's team posted a 13th-place finish at Hulman Links in Terre Haute, Indiana. Ferrum's five golfers that competed that year were Aaron Johnson (29th), Alvarez (50th), R.J. Weaver (54th), Jordan (72nd) and Brant Ruskin (91st).

Bailey is averaging 73.7 strokes per round this season with a total of 1622 strokes over 22 rounds. He has two medalist honors to his credit, including the Tom Kinder Memorial, hosted Sept. 12-13 by Bridgewater College in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Bailey then won the West Cup, hosted March 27-28 by La Verne College in La Verne, California.

Bailey was a PING/Golf Coaches Association of America All-America honorable mention last year. He is Ferrum's fourth individual to compete in post-season play this year, joining Zach Beckner, Logan Meister and Collin Saunders, who all qualified for the NCAA Div. III Wrestling Championships in March. Beckner earned All-America after posting a national runner-up finish in the 125-pound weight class.

Bailey's Career Highlights
USA South All-Conference 2nd team, 2015
USA South All-Tournament Team, 2015
VaSID All-State 2nd team, 2015
USA South All-Conference 2nd team, 2016
PING/GCAA Southeast All-Region 1st team, 2016
VaSID All-State 1st team, 2016
PING/GCAA All-America honorable mention team, 2016
Medalist at Tom Kinder Memorial, Sept. 2016
USA South Golfer of the Week, 9/14/16
Medalist at West Cup (La Verne, California), March 2017
USA South All-Conference 2nd team, 2017
2017 NCAA Div. III Men's Golf Championships Participant