Women's Golf Rides Momentum Into SEC Championship
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 17, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 10-ranked Alabama women's golf team competes at the SEC Championship this weekend after completing one of the most successful spring regular seasons in team history. The tournament will be held at the 6,293-yard, par-72, Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon, Tenn.
Who's Hot: Five Alabama golfers landed in the top 10 of the Crimson Tide Classic, led by Kathleen Ekey, who took the title with a 13-under par 203. Camilla Lennarth played consistently well, shooting three rounds under par to finish in third place at 207 (-9). Sarah Sturm, Courtney Harter and Helena Blomberg locked down positions five, six and seven, respectively. Blomberg and Sturm each shot a season best 18-hole score of 70 during the tournament.
Scouting the Field: The SEC Championship will feature one of the most difficult fields the nation has to offer as well as one of the most balanced. Eight of the 12 teams competing are ranked in the top 30 nationally with five teams ranked between spots five and twelve.
The Tide comes in as the fourth-highest ranked team in the tournament as the 10th-ranked team in the country. Georgia is the highest ranked team at No. 5 followed closely by Florida at No. 6 and Auburn at No. 9. Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU currently hold positions in the top 25 as well.
SEC Championship History: Alabama enters the 2008 SEC Championships still in search of its first conference title. The Tide is coming off a fifth place finish last season, its best since 1998. Alabama has posted five top-three finishes in SEC Tournament action, including two runner-up finishes. The last time UA finished second was in 1994.
Last Time Out: The Tide hosted a spring tournament for the first time in the women's program's history and put together a record-setting performance in the process at the Crimson Tide Classic two weeks ago. Alabama shot a 54-hole school record 861 (-3) after turning in a final round 279 (-9), also a record low. The Tide won the tournament going away, finishing with a 42-stroke lead over second-place LSU.
Tide in the Rankings: The win at the Crimson Tide Classic boosted the Tide's standing in many national statistical categories. Alabama currently holds a spot in the top 10 in five of the eight major categories, according to Golfstat.com.
The Tide is fifth in par-4 scoring and seventh in both sub-par strokes per round and fairways hit. Alabama holds ninth place in putts on greens in regulation and ranks 10th in greens hit in regulation.
Individually, Kathleen Ekey moved up in several categories after her record setting performance at the Crimson Tide Classic. Ekey is now second in the nation in greens hit in regulation and fourth nationally in par-5 scoring. She also broke into the sub-par strokes per round rankings in 10th place.
Ekey Enters Record Books with "Classic" Performance: Alabama junior transfer Kathleen Ekey has been the Tide's top player during the spring season and added another impressive outing to her resume with a record-setting performance at the Crimson Tide Classic two weeks ago.
Ekey took home first place honors with a 203 (-13) for the tournament, the lowest 54-hole score of the season for the Tide. Her final round 65 (-7) set the 18-hole school record as well as the course record for women at Ol' Colony. The 65 was also a personal best for Ekey.
Ekey fired a second round 66 (-6) to capture first place ahead of teammate Camilla Lennarth who was only one stroke off the pace. Lennarth posted a 68 (-4) in the final round to accompany a 70 (-2) and 69 (-3) in the first two rounds to finish in sole possession of third place.
Ekey enters SEC championship play as the 13th ranked individual in the country according to the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Out of five tournaments in the spring season, Ekey has notched three top 10 finishes.
Tide Continues Successful Spring Season: With its win at the Crimson Tide Classic, the Tide put an exclamation point on what has been one of the most successful spring regular seasons in school history.
Alabama has finished in the top five in four of the five events it has competed in this spring, including victories in the Crimson Tide Classic and Puerto Rico Classic. The two wins equals the most for any Tide women's golf team since 1987.
The Tide has fared well against some of the best teams from around the SEC and the nation. Alabama boasts a 31-24-1 record against the top 25 and is 64-28-3 against the top 50 this season.
Alabama moved into the top 10 in the Golfweek/Sagarin polls for the second time this season in last week's poll, ranking 10th heading into SEC Championship play. During the fall Alabama climbed as high as ninth in the rankings, the highest ranking in team history.
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