Nelson Finalists Named

NORMAN, Okla. ? The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) has announced the finalists for the 2006 Byron Nelson Award presented by Cleveland Golf, in cooperation with the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Finalists for the 2006 Nelson include Michael Barbosa of Georgia Tech, Arizona State?s Alejandro Ca?izares, Brian Carroll of George Washington, Pepperdine?s Alex Coe, Andrew Dresser of Texas Tech and Oklahoma State?s Zack Robinson. Candidates for the Nelson must be a graduating senior and the selection committee will consider equally a nominee?s entire collegiate academic career, entire collegiate golf career and his character and integrity while in college. Particular consideration will be given to a nominee?s good citizenship, as portrayed by Mr. Byron Nelson over the course of his life and golf career.

Barbosa has made the ACC's Academic Honor Roll all four of his years at Georgia Tech (including a red-shirt year in 2001-02) and likely will do so again this year. After his red-shirt year, Barbosa, a first-team junior All-American prior to his enrollment, played in only three events during his red-shirt freshman year and had mixed success during the fall of his sophomore year. Since then, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native has not missed one event Tech has played, recorded 14 top-20 finishes along the way and posted a stroke average around 73 over than period. He earned all-ACC honors last year for the first time, and was recognized as a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar. He also captured the title at the 2004 Cardinal Amateur, one of the premier amateur events in the nation. Barbosa recently earned his degree in management and plans to stay amateur and attend law school.

Recently named the Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year, Ca?izares has earned All-America honors three times and was named the 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year. He has a 71.41 stroke average in 11 events this year with five top-five finishes and is the first player to earn the honor in back-to-back Pac-10 Player of the Year honors since Stanford's Tiger Woods (1995-96). He is a six-time winner in his career, winning the 2005 Puerto Rico Classic, 2005 Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate, 2004 Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational, 2003 NCAA Championship and 2003 National Invitational. He tied for first at this year's Ping/Arizona Intercollegiate but lost in a playoff and also tied for second at the National Invitational Tournament. This year marks his third year of earning first-team All-Pac-10 after notching second-team honors in his first year (2002-03).

A team co-captain and business major, Carroll won his first collegiate title during his freshman campaign at the Lehigh-Don Mershon Classic, where he got up and down from 100 yards on his final hole to win by one shot. He was named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week three times that season. He earned Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week three times as a sophomore. As a junior, Carroll posted four second-place finishes and was named Academic All-Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference Student Athlete of the Year for Golf and a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar. He has 10 top-10 finishes in 13 events this season, including wins at the Joe Agee Invitational and the George Washington Dual.

Coe was named All-West Coast Conference this season. He claimed medalist honors at General Jim Hackler Invitational - his second victory in the event in three years - and had eight top 20 finishes, including six top 10 showings. Coe also earned All-West Coast Conference and WCC All-Academic last season when he placed in the top 20 five times with one top 10. He won his first individual title as sophomore, claiming the General Jim Hackler Invitational while registering three other top 10s.

In his final season at the collegiate level, Dresser is experiencing the best season of his four-year Tech career. The Carrollton, Texas, native has placed in the top ten in seven tournaments on the and currently carries a 71.97 scoring average. Dresser tied for individual honors at the Hyatt Plantation Club Intercollegiate to help the Red Raider capture their first tournament team title since the 2001 season. At the 2006 Big 12 Men's Golf Championship, Dresser turned in the best finish by a Red Raider, posting a tie for fourth at the event. He was also named Academic All-Big 12 team this season.

Robinson - who redshirted during his first season at Oklahoma State - has already earned his undergraduate degree in political science and is currently pursuing a master?s in business administration. He has competed in seven events this season. As a junior, he was named a third-team All-American ? was also named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America At-Large first-team selection. Robinson was also named a first-team all-conference, all-region pick and was chosen as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection. He also ran together a string of six consecutive tournaments with a top-10 finishes that season. Robinson earned honorable mention All-America honors during his first season of action for the Cowboys and was named a first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick. He has been named an Academic All-Big 12 selection three times.

The Nelson recipient will be named prior to the NCAA Championships.