Golf Team Finishes 5th at the Preview
9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 30, 2008
TOLEDO, OHIO - Saving its best round for last, the University of Alabama golf team shot 2-over par and climbed two spots to finish fifth at the Ping/Golfweek Preview. The tournament featured a field of 15 teams, 14 of those ranked among the top 25.
Bud Cauley, a freshman on the Crimson Tide team, finished the tournament T-5th. Cauley shot 75-68-68/211 to finish at 2-under par. Senior Matthew Swan of Montgomery finished T-15th at 2-over par, shooting 71-72-72/215 on the par 71 Inverness Club course in Toledo, Ohio. Rounding out Alabama's scoring was Tuscaloosa redshirt freshman Hunter Slatton who finished T-29th (71-72-77/220) in his collegiate debut, and a pair of golfers who finished among a T-52nd. Matt Hughes (79-76-73/228) and Montgomery's Hunter Hamrick (77-78-73/228).
Co-medalists were Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann (69-66-72/207) and Tennessee's Robin Wingardh (69-67-71/207) who both finished at 6-under par.
Alabama, ranked 15th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 8 in the Golf World/NIKE Golf Coaches' poll, shot 16-over par, 294-288-286/868 to finish fifth. Oklahoma State won with a tournament record 9-under par finish, shooting 282-277-284/843. The Cowboys won by 16-strokes as Tennessee finished second at 7-over par, 859. The final standings found Georgia third (861), followed by Southern California (867), Alabama (868), Arizona State (870), T-7th Clemson and Georgia Tech (874), Florida (879), Florida State (886), Chattanooga (893), Charlotte (894), Texas A&M (895), Kent State (897), and host team Toledo (923).
Next up for Alabama is its own tournament, the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. Alabama will host the tournament at Birmingham's Old Overton Club on October 13-14. The field there will include Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Samford, Baylor, Georgia State, Memphis, North Carolina, UNC-Wilmington, North Florida, UNLV and Southern Methodist.
This Friday, October 3 at 1 p.m. CT, the five golfers who led Alabama to the 2008 Southeastern Conference Championship will face off, in an exhibition match, against four of the five golfers who led Alabama to the 1979 SEC Golf Championship. They are Alabama's only SEC Champion golf teams. They'll play at Tuscaloosa's Ol' Colony. The 2008 team, which will be coached by 2008 SEC Coach of the Year, will include 2008 SEC Golfer of the Year and SEC Medalist Michael Thompson, All-SEC golfers Matthew Swan and Mark Harrell and All-District golfers Joseph Sykora and Matt Hughes. Gary Trivisonno is the only one from the 1979 team who cannot make it back for the exhibition match. The team captain, Dr. Allen Yielding, will step in for Trivisonno. The other four will include Cecil Ingram (who played in the Masters Tournament as an amateur when he was a Tide golfer), Kevin Canada, Steve Hudson, and Barry Harwell. Their coach, Conrad Rehling, has passed away, so former Tide golfer Tab Hudson will be the honorary coach in Rehling's place. The two teams will play 18 holes. The 1979 team will use the members' tees, and the 2008 team will play the back tees. Fans are welcome to come to Ol' Colony and watch the match. No admission will be charged. Alabama's 2008 golf team will be honored at halftime of this weekend's Alabama vs. Kentucky football game. They'll officially receive their 2008 SEC Championship rings.
Players Mentioned
