GW Athletics Hosts NCAA Championships Sendoff for Zack Byers

Tuesday Event will Celebrate GW’s First Golfer to Qualify for Championships

BOILING SPRINGS–Gardner-Webb University Athletics will host an NCAA Championships sendoff for men’s golfer Zack Byers on Tuesday, May 24, at 8:30 a.m. at Tucker Student Center.

The event will be held on the first floor patio of the facility. All staff, faculty and fans are encouraged to attend as Byers and head coach Tee Burton head to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship – which begins on Friday morning at the Grayhawk Golf Club.

Light breakfast pick-up food and a brief word from GWU President Dr. William Downs, Vice President for Athletics Chuck Burch, Burton, Byers and Vice President for Christian Life and Service and Senior Minister to the University Tracy Jessup are part of the scheduled program.

Byers had the low score among golfers outside of the top five team finishers at last week’s Palm Beach Regional, finishing sixth overall to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Byers is seeded No. 3 after his superb tournament among the six individuals playing in Scottsdale.

The Shelby, N.C., native is in the midst of his best season with Gardner-Webb, posting a 71.45 season scoring average through 35 rounds. Since March, Byers has posted 17 rounds of par or better, with only one round over par during that stretch. Eight of those rounds have been in the 60s.

Byers won three individual titles this season, most recently at the 2022 Big South Conference Men’s Golf Championship in Ninety Six, S.C. That win vaulted him into the NCAA Regionals—a first for a Gardner-Webb golfer. In the 1970s, Gardner-Webb University earned national recognition for the men’s golf program under legendary head coach Garland Allen.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to six professional schools, 14 academic departments, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.