Alabama Women?s Golfers Set for SEC Championship
4/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? After improving throughout the season and putting together one of its best spring campaigns in recent history, the University of Alabama women's golf team prepares to open its postseason in 2007 with the Southeastern Conference Championship this weekend, April 20-23, in West Point, Miss. Mississippi State is set to host the event, which will be played on the Old Waverly Golf Club.
The Tide enters the conference tournament playing some of its best golf in recent years. Alabama has finished in the top 10 in each of its four spring events, including consecutive top-five finishes in its last two outings against national championship caliber fields at the LSU/Cleveland Classic and the tradition-laden Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic. The last time a Tide team earned top 10 finishes in all of its spring tournaments came in the 2000-01 season.
"We need to continue to manage our emotions so that when we make mistakes, we can come back from them," said head coach Mic Potter. "That's what we did these last few weeks and that's what has helped us continue to improve. I was very proud of the team in the spring, because we did that consistently. Recovering from mistakes is the key, because we know we are going to make some."
That consistent production and improvement earned the Tide some national recognition, as UA continued its upward climb in the polls. Alabama is currently ranked No. 26 in the most recent Golfweek standings, one of nine SEC teams in the top 30.
Fueling the Tide's strong spring has been the development of some of the team's younger players alongside the experienced leadership provided by senior All-American Jenny Suh.
Helena Blomberg, a true freshman on the team, has shown signs of improvement throughout her initial season in the collegiate ranks. Blomberg, who did not finish inside of the top 30 in any of her events in the fall season, has come on strong in her last two outings. She posted a then career-low 226 at the LSU/Cleveland Classic and bettered that mark a week later with a tie for sixth place and a career-best 219 at the Liz Murphey.
"The improvement of our young players was essential to our team because without them we are playing with only three experienced players," Potter said. "The key to college golf is depth, so we needed them to step up and get better and learn how to play at this level. Helena particularly has done that, to the point where she is competitive for individual championships. The same goes for Laura Goodwin and Sarah Sturm. It just seems like somebody different has taken a leadership role each week in our lineup."
After winning yet another medal in late February, Suh struggled a bit before recovering at the Liz Murphey, posting finishes outside of the top 20 for the first time in her UA career. However, the first team All-SEC performer still holds the team's lowest stroke average (73.30) and has posted nine rounds under par this season, easily the most on the team.
"I think Jenny is starting to come back around," Potter said. "She had a couple of mechanical things to improve on and her confidence took a little hit. But one thing about her is that she works hard and never gives up. She'll give you everything she has, and I am very optimistic and confident in her this weekend."
As is customary, the league championship features the most competitive field in the nation, with four teams ranked in the top 10 and six in the top 30 heading into the event. Georgia tops the list at No. 3, with Auburn ranked fifth, Vanderbilt ranked seventh and Florida coming in at the 10th spot in the poll.
As a result of that league strength, the SEC Championship has been a difficult event for the Tide recently. The best finish for Alabama in the last 10 seasons came in 1998, when UA notched a third-place finish. The Tide finished ninth a year ago.
"I think the biggest thing is not to worry about the field," Potter said. "We need to worry about taking care of ourselves and playing the course to the best of our ability and the scores will follow."
The SEC Championship is the last event of the season prior to the commencement of NCAA competition. The NCAA Regionals are slated for May 10-12 at a site to be determined, with the Championship scheduled for May 22-25 at Daytona Beach, Fla. The Tide earned its second NCAA Championship berth last season, its first under Potter.
Play begins at 8:30 a.m., with the Tide set to begin at 9:20 a.m. Live stats can be found at www.golfstat.com, or via the links provided on www.rolltide.com.
