North Florida begins play in men's ASUN golf tournament without No. 1 player Nick Gabrelcik

Three-time ASUN men's golf Player of the Year Nick Gabrelcik of the University of North Florida will not play in the ASUN Championship for undisclosed reasons.

UNF released its starting lineup before Sunday's first round, in order, as senior Robbie Higgins, juniors Andrew Riley and Jason Duff, freshman Chase Carroll and graduate senior Davis Lee. Play in the 54-hole tournament began at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Highland Oaks Course in Dothan, Ala.

North Florida coach Scott Schroeder would not specify why Gabrelcik, a native of Trinity, isn't playing and said it was in the best interests of the team to hold him out until the NCAA regionals May 6-8. UNF, 30th in the nation on the Spikemark rankings, is likely to earn an at-large bid if it doesn't win the ASUN title for the automatic berth.

"Nick is not 100 percent and with our No. 1 goal of advancing to the NCAA finals, we felt this gave us the best chance to do that," Schroeder told the Times-Union in a text message.

He said he would not get into specifics about whether "100 percent" meant an injury issue.

"Just saying not 100 percent," he said.

Nick Gabrelcik has won nine times, including 2022 ASUN

Gabrelcik is the all-time UNF leader in victories with nine and won the ASUN individual title in 2022. He finished second in the conference tournament in 2021 and tied for second last year.

He is among 10 semfinalists on the Ben Hogan Award Watch List as the nation's top college golfer and the only player from a mid-major conference.

Gabrelcik is fourth on the PGA Tour University rankings for the top college seniors and is on target to receive full Korn Ferry Tour status after the NCAA Championship May 24-29 at the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calf.

Ospreys will have nearly all-First Coast lineup

UNF will field a lineup for the ASUN tournament with four First Coast products in Riley (Creekside), Duff (Menendez), Carroll (Middleburg) and Lee (Ponte Vedra). The Ospreys are trying to win their eighth ASUN title under Schroeder.

Higgins won earlier this season at the Sea Best Invitational. Riley, the NCAA Division II national champion last year at Palm Beach Atlantic, was the team's low player at its most recent tournament in Charlottesville, Va., April 8-9, finishing ninth. Gabrelcik and Lee tied for 15th as the Ospreys finished third in the team standings.

Higgins is 38th on the PGA Tour University rankings.

Riley and Duff are past Times-Union high school players of the year and Duff won the Class 2A state individual title in 2019. Carroll was the Class 2A runner-up in 2022.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ospreys' Nick Gabrelcik held out of men's ASUN golf championship