Alabama
John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
Men's Golf in Finishes Fifth at John Hayt Invitational
3/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Junior golfer Tom Lovelady finished in fourth overall to pace the Alabama men's golf team to a fifth-place finish at the 2015 John Hayt Invitational, played on the par 72, 6,976-yard Sawgrass Country Club course. The Crimson Tide recorded its best score of the three-day 54-hole event on Sunday, carding a 3-over par 291 to close play with a total score of 29-over par 893 (300-301-291).
"We struggled in that first round but I am proud of the way the team responded after that," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. "It was tough weather all weekend and it was a tough golf course. We battled through and I thought we did a lot of good things, especially in the last two days. I think that is something we can build from. I thought overall, the guys did a good job."
Lovelady's fourth-place result was the second-best finish of the 2014-15 season and third-highest result in his Alabama career. The Mountain Brook, Ala., native finished the tournament with a score of 3-over 219 (70-75-74), which included a season-low 2-under 70 in the opening round of play.
Sophomores Robby Shelton and Dru Love also had solid tournaments, as both golfers finished among the top-15 in the event. Shelton recorded his 14th top-10 finish in 18 career tournaments, closing play at The Hayt tied for 10th at 5-over 221 (73-76-72). Meanwhile, Love, who is coming off his first career tournament win at last week's Puerto Rico Classic, finished tied for 15th overall with a 222 (73-76-73).
Freshmen Tyler Hitchner (85-76-72) and Steven Setterstrom (84-75-74) rounded out Alabama as both tied for 57th overall with a 233.
"Tom, Robby and Dru have done a great job for us this spring," Seawell said. "All three have top-20 finishes and each have a top-five finish, which is really good. We are still trying to find that fourth scorer, but I am really proud of them and we hope they continue to do that down the road. Once we have a fourth scorer, we can be a formidable team once we get to SEC Championships and NCAA play."
Eighth-ranked Texas (872) claimed the tournament title by six strokes over 29th-ranked and tournament host North Florida (878). Oklahoma State (883), ranked No. 26 in the nation, while No. 16 UCLA (885) finished eight strokes ahead from the Crimson Tide to round out the top five teams in the 15-team field.
Alabama will return to action when it competes at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters on March 9-11 in Las Vegas, Nev.
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Players Mentioned
