Tide Golfers Host JPNI Monday and Tuesday
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 9, 2008
TUSCALOOSA - Some of the nation's best collegiate golf teams will gather in Birmingham beginning this weekend when the University of Alabama and Old Overton Club host the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate.
The annual tournament features a field of 12 teams and is held in Birmingham at Old Overton Club. Teams will hold a practice round on Sunday, October 12 and will play 36 holes, the first and second rounds, on Monday, October 13. The third and final round of the 54-hole tournament will be on Tuesday morning. The tournament is run by and named in honor of former Crimson Tide golfer Jerry Pate. The 1974 U.S. Amateur champion currently plays on the PGA's Champions Tour after a successful career on the PGA Tour.
There is no admission charged to attend.
"Mr. Pate has been a very valuable part of Alabama golf. You see his name every day when I walk into work," said Alabama head golf coach Jay Seawell, smiling, referring to his office in the Jerry Pate Center, Alabama's home facility at Tuscaloosa's Ol' Colony Club. "To have his name on our trophy and get a chance to invite some of the best teams in the country is something that helps college golf. Mr. Pate really wants great teams here, and I think it's a badge of honor that we host such an elite event in the country."
The Fall 2008 field includes 12 teams, five of whom are ranked in the Golf World/NIKE Golf Coaches' poll and/or the Golfweek Sagarin Rankings. Alabama, the tournament's defending champion, leads the list of ranked teams in both polls as it's No. 8 in the Coaches' poll and No. 10 in the Golfweek rankings. Baylor is ranked No. 5 in the Golfweek rankings. UNLV is No. 8 in the Golfweek rankings and No. 21 in the Golf World/Coaches' rankings. Auburn is ranked No. 20 in the Coaches' poll and No. 39 by Golfweek, and UAB is ranked No. 46 by Golfweek.
Rounding out the field is Georgia State, Memphis, North Carolina, North Carolina-Wilmington, North Florida, Samford, and SMU.
"This year we've added Samford, so we are going to have four in-state schools which will really be good. We'll have Alabama, Auburn, UAB and Samford competing. It ought to be a good week, and, hopefully it will get some people out there also because of the connection with all four of those universities."
Alabama will play with a team where four of its five are freshmen. Playing at No. 1 for the Tide will be All-Southeastern Conference senior Matthew Swan (71.83) of Montgomery. Freshman Bud Cauley (71.50) will play No. 2, Hunter Hamrick (75.33) No. 3, Phillip Weaver (74.33) No. 4 and Hunter Slatton (73.33) No. 5. Weaver and Slatton are both Tuscaloosa natives. Hamrick is from Montgomery, and Cauley is from Jacksonville, Fla.
"We've got four freshmen, so we're going to have a lot of energy," said Seawell. "The young guys have worked hard, and so I'm excited that they get a chance to play. I'm excited that the ones that seem to have worked the hardest so far, who want it the most, are going to go this week, so it's been good."
This will be the third of four fall tournaments Alabama plays. The Tide finished sixth of 18 teams in the September 12-14 Carpet Capital Collegiate where 12 teams were ranked. It finished fifth of 15 teams at the September 28-30 Ping/Golfweek Preview among a field of 14 ranked teams. Alabama's fall season ends at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational October 26-28 in Windermere, Fla., before picking up again February 22-24, 2009 at the John Hayt Collegiate at Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.
