Iowa men’s golfer Chris Brant was named a finalist for the 2012 Byron Nelson Award on Monday, according to a release.

The senior is one of five Division-I men’s golfers named a finalist for the award, which is named after the former PGA Tour golfer who once won 11 tournaments in a row.

The award will be announced by a selection committee that "considers equally a nominee’s entire collegiate academic and golf career and his character and integrity while in college," the release said.

Brant was a second-team All-Big Ten selection and PING honorable mention All-American as a junior in 2011, when he helped the Hawkeyes reach a No. 10 national ranking.

He holds the school record for a 54-hole score, 206; his best two 18-hole scores are second (64) and fifth (67) all-time at Iowa.

The Illinois native is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, and he is involved in several volunteer movements, including clothing drives in Iowa City and at a food pantry in St. Louis.

Brant joins Texas’ Dylan Frittelli, Baylor’s Joakim Mikkelsen, Georgia Tech’s James White, and Dartmouth’s Peter Williamson on the finalist list.

The winner will be announced on Thursday.

— by Seth Roberts