Alabama to Compete In SEC Men's Golf Championship
4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 13, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SEC Championships
April 15-17, 2011
Sea Island Golf Club - Seaside Course
Par 70, 7,055 yards
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Live Scoring: www.golfstat.com
Alabama In The Rankings
Golfweek/Sagarin Index - 3rd
Golf Word/Nike Coaches' Poll - 4th
Golfstat Head-to-Head - 2nd
Alabama Looks to Return to the SEC Throne
The Crimson Tide men's golf team returns to the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga., April 15-17 to compete in the 2011 SEC Men's Golf Championships. Alabama claimed the 2008 SEC title with an eight-shot win over South Carolina in the first year the championships was played on the Frederica Golf Club layout. It was the Tide's first conference title since 1979 and just the second in school history. The par-70, 7,055-yard oceanside links course places a premium on careful shot selection, recovery and putting. The demanding course has hosted multiple USGA events and will again serve as the host venue for the PGA Tour's McGladrey Classic in October.
Alabama's Starting Five
Alabama head coach Jay Seawell likes where his team is at this point of the season, and he will field his best lineup at this week's SEC Championships. Two juniors and three freshman will represent UA this week. Junior Bud Cauley leads the team with a 70.48 stroke average, has placed in the top five of five events this season, including a victory at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate. Junior Hunter Hamrick will be looking to bolster the Tide's finish, entering the tournament with a 72.85 stroke average. Freshman Cory Whitsett, who took medalist honors at the Linger Longer Invitational just three weeks ago, has a stout 71.00 stroke average. Frosh Bobby Wyatt returns ready to make an impact after missing two tourneys due to injury. He has four top-five finishes this season. Trey Mullinax III, another rookie, will be looking for a solid finish as his play has improved with more action recently.
Junior Leaders
Juniors Bud Cauley and Hunter Hamrick hope to lead Alabama to victory this week. Cauley has maintained his status as one of collegiate golf's top stars this season while Hamrick, an All-American in 2010, is looking to regain his form as the season reaches its crucial stages. Cauley, who missed last year's SEC Championships, was a fifth-place finisher in 2009 and figures to compete for individual honors. Hamrick was fourth at last year's SEC Championships and could contend once again.
Freshman Success
Alabama's present prospects are excellent, but the future also looks bright due to a roster flush with freshman talent. A trio of first-year Tide stars will carry the banner for UA this week led by Cory Whitsett and Bobby Wyatt. Both players rank in the national top 20 at present (Whitsett is 11th, Wyatt 20th) and both figure to help Alabama make a strong push for team honors.
Rankings Rundown
Alabama enters the 2011 SEC Championships ranked third in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance and fourth in the Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches' Poll. Individually, Bud Cauley is sixth in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index while Cory Whitsett ranks 11th and Bobby Wyatt is 20th.
Championship Rewind - 2008 & 1979
Alabama has won two SEC Championships since it began playing golf in 1952. The Crimson Tide have also captured two individual medalists honors. UA brought home both the team and individual titles in 2008 while Michael Thompson captured medalist honors. The Crimson Tide won its first SEC Championship in 1979 when head coach Conrad Rehling led his squad to the win. UA's Bobby Hill was the first Tide player to capture medalist honors with his win in Athens, Ga., in 1952. It was Alabama's first year competing in men's golf in the SEC. Hill shot a 290 over 72 holes for the win.
Players Mentioned
