CARY, N.C. – Coming off three-straight top-three finishes, Campbell wraps up its regular season tournament schedule this weekend with the Stitch Intercollegiate at MacGregor Downs Country Club.  The Camels are one of nine teams in the 12-school event ranked among the nation's top 100 programs by Golfstat.
 
In addition to the 58th-ranked Camels, the Stitch Intercollegiate field includes No.-28 Wake Forest, No.-29 Duke and No.-35 NC State.
 
Campbell is coming off a third-place finish Apr. 2-3 at the ECU Intercollegiate, where junior Ray Kraivixien tied for medalist honors before falling on the second playoff hole.  The Camels won for the third time in 2017-18 at Border Olympics (Mar. 9-10) and were runner-up Mar. 18-19 at the Seahawk Intercollegiate.  CU also claimed the Old Dominion OBX Collegiate as well as the Battle at Stono Ferry last fall.
 
Not only will the Stitch Intercollegiate team champion be able to gain valuable national ranking points, but the individual champion will receive an at-large spot in the Web.com Tour Rex Hospital Open (May 28-June 3).
 
This weekend's event is scheduled for three 18-hole rounds. Friday's and Saturday's play will commence at 9:00 a.m. with double tee times.  Sunday's final round is set for an 8:30 a.m. start from the first and 10th tees.
 
Campbell enters the event as the national leader in greens in regulation percentage (.712), while standing third in fairways hit (.733) and fourth in putts on greens in regulation (1.835). Campbell's average score of 72.19 is 22nd in the country.  The Camels rate seventh nationally in par-5 scoring (4.68).
 
Stitch Intercollegiate
Cary, N.C. / MacGregor Downs CC
Apr. 13-15, 2018 / Par 72, 6973 Yards

The Field = 12 teams (Golfstat ranking): Appalachian State (192), Campbell (58), College of Charleston (81), Duke (29), East Carolina (75), Maryland (84), NC State (35), Ohio (233), Richmond (157), UAB (91), Virginia Tech (90), Wake Forest (28).
 
The Course / MacGregor Downs CC (Par 72, 6973 Yards)
The 18-hole private golf course at MacGregor Downs Country Club is annually rated as one of the best courses in the Southeastern United States because of its impeccable playing conditions.  The golf course was designed by Willard Byrd, one of America's leading golf course architects. In the early 1970s, MacGregor Downs played host to the Liggett & Myers PGA Tour Match Play Championships and currently hosts the Children's Flight of Hope Charity Tournament each year. Some of the greatest names in golf have walked its fairways, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino. 
 
The Coach
John Crooks is in his 28th year in charge of the Campbell men's golf program and 27th as head coach of the CU women.  The 2017 Big South Conference Coach of the Year for both the men and women, Crooks has been named league coach of the year 19 times in his tenure.  His teams have combined to earn 27 NCAA post-season trips, including two-straight on the men's side and six in a row for the women.
 
The Lineup
Head coach John Crooks and assistant coach Matt Moot will send the same lineup to Cary that has competed in the last three tournaments.
 
Junior Ray Kraivixien (Bangkok, Thailand) leads all Big South Conference golfers with a 71.22 stroke average and is ranked No.-206 in the Golfstat Cup.  He has a pair of first place finishes this year – at the Old Dominion OBX Intercollegiate and the ECU Intercollegiate.  He has produced 16 rounds of par or better in 27 trips this season. With five top-10 individual finishes in nine outings, Kraivixien ranks second in the league. Kraivixien stands eighth in the country in fairways hit (.773) and is 11th in greens in regulation (.718)
 
Pontus Nyholm (Gavle, Sweden) is coming off a fourth-place finish at the ECU Intercollegiate –his fourth top 10 effort of the season.  On the year, Nyholm has recorded 13 par, or better, rounds in nine events and stands fourth in the Big South (tops among freshmen) with a 71.70 stroke average.  He has been named Big South Conference freshman of the week five times while earning golfer of the week honors once in 2017-18.
 
Nyholm, who was runner-up at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate last fall and the Border Olympics last month, ranks 10th in the nation in par-5 scoring (4.50), is 19th in fairways hit (.744) and 20th in greens in regulation percentage (.695).
 
Junior Jesper Svensson (Balsta, Sweden) enters the Stitch Intercollegiate ranked No.-222 nationally in the Golfstat Cup with a 71.3 scoring average, second only to Kraivixien among Big South golfers. The 2017 Big South Golfer of the Year, Svensson owns four top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up effort in the Battle at Stono Ferry.
 
Sophomore Brett McLamb (Coats, N.C.) stands eighth among Big South golfers with a 72.54 stroke average and has a pair of top-10 showings.  He tied for sixth at the OBX Intercollegiate last fall and registered a career-best fifth-place finish at the Seahawk Intercollegiate. McLamb rates fifth in the country in greens in regulation (.730) and 20th in fairway percentage (.737).
 
Sophomore Max Theodorakis (Danbury, Conn.) is 16th among Big South golfers with a 73.5 scoring average and has shot below par four times in 18 rounds this season. His seven-under 65 in the final round at the OBX Intercollegiate is a collegiate career low.
 
About Stitch Golf
Stitch® Golf is excited to be the title sponsor of the event. Founded in 2012 and headquartered inCary, N.C., Stitch® products have evolved from the original leather headcover to now offering a variety of products such as lightweight golf bags, the unique ultimate garment bag (UGB™) and most recently a line of luxury travel bags. Stitch® aims to produce the best quality, the greatest fit and the most functional products to supply customers with the finest in the industry. Priding itself in the details, Stitch® products are designed with high quality, exclusive materials including durable
waterproof fabrics, fashionable color schemes and personalization designs completed in house in Cary.
 
Next: Following this weekend's action, Campbell heads to the Big South Championship, Apr. 20-22 at The Patriot Golf Club in Ninety Six, S.C.