From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics
Senior George Qian (Bettendorf, Iowa/Montverde Academy) of the Carnegie Mellon University men's golf team has been named by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) as a semifinalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol. The Nicklaus Award recognizes the top players at the Division I, II, III, NAIA and NJCAA levels.
Qian, who has played a vital role in helping the 20th-ranked Tartans to their highest national ranking, is one of 30 Division III golfers who will be considered for the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
Qian finished the season with a team-best average round of 74.0 through 21 rounds with a tournament win, three top-three finishes and five top-ten finishes. The senior opened spring play claiming University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Valuable Player honors at the 2017 UAA Match-Play Championships after winning both of his matches.
At the Wynlakes Intercollegiate in late March, Qian tied the single-round school record with his opening-round score of five-under par 67. He finished the Wynlakes with a two-round score of seven-under par 137, which broke the school record for the lowest 36-hole event. His play helped the Tartans to a third-place team finish in a field of 13 teams, five of which were ranked in the top seven nationally.
In the month of March, the senior carded a scoring average of 73.1 in nine rounds on his way to being named Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Men's Golfer of the Month.
The finalists will be announced at the GCAA Division III National Awards Banquet in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida on May 16. The event will serve as part of the festivities surrounding the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship which will be played May 16-19. Nicklaus Award recipients will be announced June 1 with the honor presented by Jack Nicklaus at a ceremony during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
The five recipients will compete in the Barbasol Shootout for an exemption into the PGA TOUR's Barbasol Championship, held July 20-23, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Opelika, Ala. The Barbasol Shootout will be held Saturday, June 3 at the storied Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio - the same club where Jack Nicklaus first learned the game of golf as a young boy.