Alabama
SEC Championships
Alabama Men Finish Second at SEC Men's Golf Championship
4/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 17, 2011
SEA ISLAND, Ga. - The Alabama men's golf team posted the lowest round of the 2011 SEC Men's Golf Championship with a 2-under-par 278 in Sunday's final round on the par-70, 6,991-yard Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club to finish second.
The Crimson Tide's three-round total of 14-over 854 was six strokes behind Florida, whose 281 on Sunday sealed the league title. Tennessee finished third at 16-over 856 while Georgia (+22, 862) and LSU (+25, 865) rounded out the top five.
"We just didn't play well enough," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said following Sunday's final round. "We put ourselves in too big of a hole after the first round. I was proud of how they battled today, but we were too far back against a good team (Florida). We were the only team to break par in a round for the whole tournament, but Florida was just too far out front to be caught."
True freshman Cory Whitsett, a native of Houston, Texas, led Alabama individually with a tie for sixth place at 2-over-par 212. He played the final two rounds at 2-under par with a 68 on Saturday and a closing-round even-par 70. Whitsett finished three strokes off the pace Andres Echavarria (Florida) and John Peterson (LSU) at 1-under 209.
Alabama veterans Hunter Hamrick and Bud Cauley both led Alabama in round three with matching rounds of 2-under 68. That left the pair tied for 10th individually at 3-over-par 213. It was the second top-10 finish at the SEC Championship for both Cauley and Hamrick. Cauley tied for fifth as a freshman in 2009 and Hamrick posted a tie for fourth place last season.
Freshman Bobby Wyatt made his return to the Crimson Tide lineup after missing the past three tournaments due to injury. Wyatt shot 2-over 72 on Sunday and finished tied for 19th position at 7-over-par 217 (74-71-72). Fellow freshman Trey Mullinax was two shots back of Wyatt at 9-over-par 219 to post a tie for 25th place.
"Last year we were coming home after finishing dead last," Seawell said. "We were trying for a worst-to-first finish this year, but those three freshmen (Whitsett, Wyatt and Mullinax) have definitely helped our season and made us one of the top teams in the country. Even though we are disappointed right now, with the talent we have in place, there is a lot left for us to accomplish this year."
Alabama's next stop will be at one of six NCAA Regional sites on May 19-21 as they battle for one of 30 spots at the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., on May 31-June 6.
