University of St. Francis (Ill.) golfer Grant Whybark has become a national name in light of his decision to intentionally lose a playoff for his conference tournament's individual title and allow an opponent to advance to the national finals.

Whybark, who had already qualified for the NAIA national championship by virtue of his team's victory in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament on April 27, made a double-bogey on the first playoff hole to allow Seth Doran of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) University to qualify as an individual.

The national title tournament is May 18-21 at TPC at Deere Park in Silvis, Ill., site of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic.

"I've known Seth for the past couple of years," Whybark said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000."He's earned my respect on the golf course and off of it.

"I talked with my team about it. The whole goal of the conference tournament is to advance to nationals. As soon as I had done that, not a whole lot else made a difference to me. And the kid has earned his spot, as everyone else did in the tournament. That's my position on it."

Whybark emphasized that no other golfer missed a chance to advance to the national tournament because of his action.

"It came down to whoever won the playoff hole," Whybark said. "If I won, Seth didn't get to go. If he won, he got to go. That's where we were at.

"It was Seth or nobody."

Whybark, who was told that the overall individual winner earned a