Crimson Tide Making Sixth NCAA Appearance Under Seawell
5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 12, 2009
NCAA Galloway Regional
May 14-16, 2009
Galloway National Golf Club
Par 72, 7,217 yards
Galloway, N.J.
Live Scoring: www.golfstats.com
Alabama Starting Lineup
Bud Cauley
Matthew Swan
Hunter Hamrick
Matt Hughes
Spencer Cole
Crimson Tide Making Sixth NCAA Appearance Under Seawell
The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Crimson Tide men's golf team makes its fifth straight trip to NCAA postseason and their sixth in the last seven years under head coach Jay Seawell. The 2009 NCAA Galloway Regional tees off on May 14-16 and will be played at the par-71, 7,022-yard Galloway National Golf Club. The Crimson Tide advanced out of the NCAA Central Regional a year ago with a sixth-place finish. UA returns two players from the 2008 NCAA Regional team in seniors Matthew Swan and Matt Hughes. Alabama will play a practice round on the Galloway National Golf Club tract on Wednesday, May 13, before teeing off at 7:30 a.m. (CDT) on Thursday, May 14, for the first round. Live stats can be found at www.golfstat.com.
Starting Five
Alabama will have one change in its lineup for the NCAA Galloway Regional with redshirt freshman Spencer Cole replacing fellow redshirt freshman Hunter Slatton in the lineup. True freshman Bud Cauley will remain in the No. 1 spot for the Tide. Cauley, who leads the team with a 71.50 stroke average is ranked sixth nationally in the Golfweek/Performance Index. He captured his first collegiate win at the U.S. Collegiate Championship where he tied for medalist honors with a 4-under-par 212 on the challenging Lakeside Course at The Golf Club of Georgia. Senior Matthew Swan, a three-time All-SEC selection, is in the No. 2 position and making his fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt freshman Hunter Hamrick will be playing as the Tide's No. 3. Senior Matt Hughes is making his second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and playing in the No. 4 spot. Redshirt freshman Spencer Cole rounds out the Alabama lineup in the No. 5 position.
New-Look NCAA Tournament
The NCAA men's golf tournament will take on a new look in 2009 with the first change in the tournament format since 1989. The old 30-team, three-regional format has been replaced by a six-regional schedule. Three of the regionals will have fields of 13 teams and 10 individuals, with the other three consisting of 14 teams and five individuals each for a total of 75 players at each site. The Galloway (N.J.) Regional will consist of 14 teams and five individuals.
The top five teams and the top individual not on an advancing team will qualify from each regional site for the NCAA Division I Men's Championship at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. The NCAA Championships run May 26-30, 2009. The finals also will have a new format, with the final eight teams after 54 holes facing off in match play to determine the national champion. The individual winner will be crowned after 54 holes instead of 72 as in past years.
Honors Adding Up for Cauley
True freshman Bud Cauley has already garnered numerous honors in his first season on the collegiate circuit and is in contention for many more. The Jacksonville, Fla., native ranks sixth in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, and his 71.50 scoring average is the second-highest in the Southeastern Conference. Cauley was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and was also selected first-team All-SEC. But the rookie is also a strong candidate for first-team All-America honors and was a semifinalist for The Hogan Award, given to the nation's top golfer. Cauley has also recently been selected to play for the American team at the Palmer Cup. He won his first collegiate tournament in early April with an impressive performance at the United States Collegiate Championship. Cauley fired rounds of 70, 69 and 73 to share medalist honors with UCLA's Erik Flores. Cauley was named the SEC Golfer of the Week for his efforts. He then followed that with a fifth-place finish at the SEC Championships (212, -4).
Swan Song for the Seniors
Two seniors, Matthew Swan and Matt Hughes dot the Crimson Tide's lineup for the 2009 NCAA Galloway Regional. Swan brings the most experience of any UA golfer into the event with 130 career rounds, including 17 career rounds of NCAA postseason play. Swan has nine career top 10 finishes. He has 39 career rounds under par with a 54-hole best of 12-under 204 in a win at the 2008 Puerto Rico Classic. Hughes, a Dalton, Ga., native is making his second straight NCAA Regional start. Hughes has two-career top-10 finishes in 17 career events.
Freshmen Success
Alabama lost five lettermen to graduation from its 2008 SEC Championship team and are once again in the hunt in 2009 with a lot of help from some youngsters. The Tide feature three freshman - two redshirts - in their starting lineup for the 2009 SEC Championships and have seen four freshmen in the lineup at times during the 2008-09 season. Bud Cauley, the Tide's only true freshman, has led a group of rookies that also include redshirts Hunter Hamrick, Hunter Slatton and Spencer Cole. All four of those freshmen have played at least 11 rounds of golf in the UA lineup this season. Cauly leads the way with a 71.50 stroke average and was a first-team All-SEC selection and picked to the Palmer Cup team. Hamrick is right behind at 73.50 in stroke average and was named Freshman All-SEC. Slatton boasts a 74.65 stroke average with Cole at 76.36.
Rankings Rundown
Alabama enters the 2009 NCAA Galloway Regional ranked 11th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance and eighth in the Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches' Poll. The Tide's top team finish was a win at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate as they put together an impressive 10-under-par 830. UA also produced strong fifth-place showings at the Ping/Golfweek Preview in the fall and the United States Collegiate Championship just two weeks prior to the SEC Championships.
Individually, Bud Cauley is sixth in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, and his 71.50 scoring average is the second-highest in the Southeastern Conference while ranking 10th in the men's Golfstat Cup standings. Hunter Hamrick is 72nd in the performance index and 25th in the SEC.
Crimson Tide Under Seawell
Alabama head coach Jay Seawell is in his seventh season at the helm of the Crimson Tide program. He has led the Tide to 13 tournament titles, including the 2008 SEC Championship and advanced to NCAA play six times. He has coached 11 All-America honors, including four during his time in Tuscaloosa. On his watch, the Crimson Tide has produced seven medalists after Bud Cauley's win at the United State Collegiate Championship at the beginning of April. Overall, Alabama has competed in 85 tournaments under Seawell and finished in the top 5 on 46 occasions (54 percent). UA has finished either first or second 20 times.
Bud Cauley
5-6 • Freshman • Jacksonville, Fla./Home Schooled
• Has a team-best 71.50 scoring average in eight career tournaments
• Ranked 6th nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index
• Shared medalist honors at the U.S. Collegiate (4-under, 212)
• Finished in the top 10 five times; top 5 four times; never below 20
• Has shot nine rounds under par, including a career-low 66
• A semifinalist for The Hogan Award and named to the Palmer Cup
Matthew Swan
6-0 • Senior • Montgomery, Ala./Trinity Presbyterian
• Has a 74.27 stroke average in 2008-09 and a career 73.28 • Has two top 10 finishes this season and nine in his career
• Starting his fourth NCAA Regional
• Has shot 18 rounds in the 60s and 39 rounds under par in his career, including six rounds under par this year
• Two-time member of the Hogan Award Watch List (`08 & `09)
Hunter Hamrick
5-9 • RS-Freshman • Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Academy
• Boasts a scoring average of 73.50, which ranks second on the team
• Posted his top finish with a second at the John Hayt Collegiate
• Has shot eight rounds under par this season with a 64 at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate
• Was 3-0 in the Callaway Golf Collegiate match Play Championships as UA won the consolation bracket
Matt Hughes
6-1 • Senior • Dalton, Ga./Dalton
• Has a 75.41 stroke average during his senior season
• Is starting in his second NCAA Regional
• Has two top-10 career finishes and nine rounds under par
• Played well at the U.S. Collegiate Championship, firing a 9-over 225 in windy and cold conditions
Spencer Cole
6-1 • RS-Freshman • Greer, S.C./The Pendleton School (Fla.)
• Has a scoring average of 76.36
• Is playing in his fifth event of the season and his first since the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championships
• Top finish was a tie for 28th at the UCF-Isleworth Collegiate Invitational
Players Mentioned
