Connelly and Shephard named Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalists
NORMAN, Okla. – Huntingdon junior golfers Mark Connelly and Stephen Shephard were recently named semifinalists for the 2018 Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
The finalists for Division III will be announced on May 15. The winner will be announced on May 31 with a presentation by Jack Nicklaus at a ceremony during the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Shephard is ranked eighth in the Golfstat Division III rankings and is averaging 72.75 in 24 rounds this season. A first-team all-conference selection, Shephard has shot par or better in nine rounds, including three rounds in the 60s.
Shephard won the DIII Golfweek Fall Invitational with an 8-under-par 205, the best three-round total by a Hawk during the NCAA era. In 10 tournaments this season, he has finished in the top-10 in six tournaments, including a fourth-place finish in the USA South Tournament and a tie for fourth in the O'Briant-Jensen Memorial.
Connelly is ranked ninth in Division III and is averaging 73.04 per round. In 24 rounds, he has shot par or better seven times, including three rounds in the 60s. A first-team all-conference selection, Connelly has one tournament win and two second-place finishes this season.
He won the O'Briant-Jensen Memorial with a 3-under 139, placed second in the Emory Invitational with a 1-under 139 and tied for second in the Tournament Town Preview with an even-par 216.
The Division III winner of the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, along with the winners from Division I, Division II, NAIA and the NJCAA, will compete in the Barbasol Shootout for an exemption into the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship. The Barbasol Shootout will be held June 2 at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.