UNCG's Stamey returns to Bremerton, ready for West Regional on Thursday

BREMERTON, WA – UNC Greensboro senior Nathan Stamey finished his final preparation Wednesday, the eve of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championsip’s West Regional.

Stamey, a native of Canton, NC, is one of 18 individual selections to the tournament. He was among six individuals assigned to the West Reginal at Gold Mountain GC in Bremerton, WA. After making the more than 2,000-mile cross country trek, Stamey played an afternoon practice round on Wednesday.

It is the first time that a Spartan has earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the Division I era. The last UNCG men’s golfer to earn a spot in the tournament came 21 years ago when Todd Jackson earned a place in the Division III Tournament as an individual. Only one Spartan has ever won a national title – Ryan Fox in 1981.

Stamey finished second at the Southern Conference Championship last month, one of six Top 10 finishes he had on the season. Stamey had nine Top 20 finishes in 12 events on his way to a team-best 73.00 scoring average. In 44 career events, Stamey has recorded 22 Top 20 finishes.

Stamey has seen Gold Mountain GC before. He played in the 2006 United States Amateur Public Links Championship at that same course. Stamey willl tee it up at 1:32 pm local time on Thursday for the opening round.

A total of 30 teams and six individuals not on a qualifying team will advance to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, May 28-31 at Purdue in West Lafayette, IN.

AGATE

Tee times for Thursday’s action (teams play in the order of No. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1). All times are Pacific Time.

Time                       1st Tee

7:00 a.m.                 Oregon, Cal, St. Mary's

7:47 a.m.                 Oklahoma, Kansas State, San Diego

11:30 a.m.               USC, UCLA, Florida St.

12:17 p.m.               North Carolina, Texas Tech, Central Florida

1:05 p.m.                 LSU, Oregon St. Pepperdine

Time                       10th Tee

7:00 a.m.                 Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington

7:47 a.m.                 Denver, Navy, Columbia

11:48 a.m.               Stanford, Clemson, UNLV

12:35 p.m.               ASU, San Diego St., Texas

1:23 p.m.                 Troy Merritt, Boise State; Brian Locke, Loyola Marymount; Tarquin Macmanus, Arizona

1:32 p.m.                 Jason D’Amore, Loyola Marymount; Nathan Stamey, UNC Greensboro; Jimmy Lytle, Elon

- UNCG -