CRANBERRY TWP — Entries have drastically picked up in recent days, but a few openings remain for the 22nd annual Butler Eagle County Amateur golf tournament Sunday at Cranberry Highlands.

Committee member Rob Voltz said 160 golfers had registered as of Wednesday.

Voltz added that 18 openings are still available for the afternoon round (1:15 p.m. shotgun start), but the morning round has been filled.

Tee times will be posted in Friday’s Butler Eagle. Anyone still looking to enter the 18-hole stroke play tournament may do so by calling Voltz at 724-822-4189.

Defending overall men’s champion Scott Vice has not yet registered and defending women’s champion Marissa DeCola will not be playing in the event. The 2014 women’s champion, Jenna Rinker, was going to play this year, but withdrew.

“We’ve got between 10 and 12 women signed up so far, about the same as last year,” Voltz said.

Jane Wymer, an eight-time Butler Country Club champion and former Eagle Amateur women’s champ, is among the female competitors in this year’s field.

“I’ve missed a couple of years ... As the mother of four teenagers, everyone has to be someplace all the time,” Wymer said. “I’ll be leaving Indianapolis at 6 a.m. Sunday with my son to get back here in time to play.

“I’ve been having a good season. My handicap is down to 4, the lowest it’s ever been.”

A number of stellar area golfers will be playing, including five-time Eagle Amateur champion Sean Knapp, Rick Stimmel, former Grove City Country Club champion Sean Wright, Stefan Carlsson and Jon Pratkanis.

Knapp shot a 6-under-par 64 to win the event in 2013, the last time the Eagle Amateur was played at Cranberry Highlands. He bested runner-up Jeremy Plaisted by five strokes.

“It’s great that guys like that are playing,” Wright said. “It increases the caliber of the tournament and brings more guys out.

“It says something for the event itself that it has a quality field like this.”

Wright finished second to Derek Forese at the Grove City Country Club championship this year. Wright has finished among the top five in the Eagle Amateur once.

“That was the year Sean Knapp won at Oakview,” he said. “I’ve played in this event a lot and I’m excited it’s at Cranberry Highlands. It’s a good venue for a tournament like this one. That will be a challenging day.”

Pratkanis, a former standout Butler High School golfer now living in Valencia, has not played competitive golf regularly since opening his own business in 2009. He has qualified for and played in the West Penn Amateur in recent years.

“A buddy of mine is playing Sunday and he convinced me to play,” Pratkanis said. “My game isn’t quite where I’d like it right now, but it’s getting there.

“An 18-hole tournament, everybody playing the same course on the same day, I think it’s fair. Whoever has the hottest round wins. That could be anybody.”

With the exception of Knapp’s five wins in six years from 2008-13, the only repeat winner in the Eagle Amateur has been Mark Young. He won it in 1995 and 2002.

Entry fee for the tournament is $80. That fee includes a cart. Besides the men’s and women’s champions, winners will be crowned in three other flights. A Seniors division winner (age 50 and older) will be recognized as well.