TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's golfers Jairus Gaines, Julian Gonzalez and Branden Nguyen were chosen to play in the 34^th annual PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship that will be held at historic TPC Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla, from May 3-5.

The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship dates back to 1986, when the National Negro Golf Association (NNGA) founded the National Minority College Golf Championship to provide student-athletes at HBCUs with the opportunity to compete in a national post-season championship.

Today, the three-day championship is open to historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions as well as selected individuals from specific ethnic origins.

Gaines (African-American), Gonzales (Hispanic) and Nguyen (Asian) qualified and were nominated by Towson head coach Mike Larkin in March.

"We went through the entry process right around The Players, so I told the guys to pay close attention to the course," Larkin said. "It is an awesome championship with a lot of great history and to have three players to be able to participate is exciting."

In addition to the 54-hole stroke play championship, the PGA Tour hosts a career expo on May 2. The event provides an opportunity for the participating student-athletes to learn about and have premiere access to various internships and employment opportunities in the golf industry while networking with industry-leading golf companies and executives.

"It will be an unbelievable week," added Larkin. "They have a couple practice rounds and three tournament rounds. It will be a treat to get to play a tour quality venue. Everything they also have going on that week with the PGA WORKS will be a fantastic experience across the board."

Beginning this year, the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will include television coverage on The Golf Channel.

A two-time Costa Rican national champion, Gonzalez played two seasons at nearby Goucher College. As a freshman, he won two tournaments, had a 71.38 scoring average and earned Division III All-America Honorable Mention honors. The junior has qualified for three of the four tournaments this spring, shooting a season-low 74 in the final round of the Southern Invitational.
 
Nguyen, a freshman made his collegiate debut at the Furman Invitational last month. At Atholton High School, he led Howard County in scoring during his junior and senior seasons and reached the state championships all four years.
 
Gaines, a junior, played two seasons at Hampton before transferring to Towson last fall. He finished t-11th at the rain-shortened 2019 Towson Fall Invitational, shooting a round of 73. A Gilman School graduate, Gaines finished second in the MIAA championship as a senior.

Towson golfers have had success at the event. Airielle Dawson became the first Towson golfer to win a national championship when she won the women's individual title in 2011. On the men's side, Nyasha Mauchaza finished second in 2010 and John Hulede placed fourth in 2017.