Alabama
Mason Rudolph Championship
Three Finish Among Top 10 to Lead Alabama Men’s Golf to Runner-Up Finish at Mason Rudolph Championship
4/2/2017 5:59:00 PM | Men's Golf
Redshirt freshman Josh Sedeno records career-best tournament total of 9-under 204 to place second overall
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Three golfers placed among the top 10 to lift the Alabama men's golf team to a runner up finish at the 2017 Mason Rudolph Championship with a season-best team total of 29-under par 823 (278-272-273). The 54-hole score of 823 is seventh-best in program history, while the 29-under par ranks as the ninth-lowest total vs. par by an Alabama team.
Redshirt freshman Josh Sedeno (2nd), junior Lee Hodges (T-3rd) and sophomore Davis Riley (9th) all placed among the top-10 individuals over the three-day tournament that featured nine of the 14 teams ranked among the top-60 in the nation. Meanwhile, junior Jonathan Hardee ended the event tied for 12th to give the Tide four golfers among the top 15. It was the Tide's lowest tournament score and its best finish of the 2016-17 campaign.
"The guys accepted the challenge of what we were facing and I am really proud of how they performed," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. "Playing Vanderbilt on its home golf course and competing against Florida, that's two of the best teams in the country. We talked about it all week and the guys were prepared and handled themselves from the practice rounds and throughout the tournament. They proved that they are as good as any team in the nation this week. That will go a long way for all of us as the season continues to progress."
Sedeno paced the Tide throughout the weekend, as the Roseville, Calif., native collected his first top-five finish and best result of his young career with his second-place showing. Sedeno carded a tournament total of 9-under par 204 on the strength of three consecutive rounds of 3-under par 68 – all career-best numbers. He shared the lead entering Sunday's final 18 holes and was vying for medalist honors throughout the day until a bogey on the 17th hole dropped him out of the lead. Sedeno would narrowly fall to Florida's Sam Horfield (202), who is ranked No. 47 in the nation, by two strokes for the individual title.
Sedeno did the majority of his damage on the par 5 holes, as he ranked third with an average of 4.42 (-7) during tournament action. Meanwhile, his 14 birdies throughout the event tied for fourth-most among all golfers.
"What a great lift Josh gave us," Seawell said. "He finished second and the reason we were good was primarily because of what Josh did. How he handled himself with the lead all day, competing against some of the best amateurs in college golf, was very helpful for our team. I told him when he walked off the 18th green today, 'Welcome to Alabama golf.' I think this week will go a long way into his development as a player at the University of Alabama."
Hodges also fared well, as he collected his fourth top-10 result over his last five tournaments with the third-place finish. Hodges collected three consecutive rounds in the 60s on his way to an 8-under par 205 (69-68-68). It is the second time in his last three tournaments that the Ardmore, Tenn., native has scored three consecutive sub-70 rounds – a feat he had not previously accomplished in his collegiate career prior to this spring.
Hodges, who finished the event tied for second in par 4 holes with an average of 3.89 over the course of the tournament, has scored par or better in 14 of his last 15 holes and has shot in the 60s in seven of his last nine holes played.
Riley also had a stellar performance as he collected his second consecutive top-10 finish with the ninth-place result. The Hattiesburg, Miss., native carded rounds of 71-68-68 on his way to a season-low tournament total of 6-under par 207. In fact, he has recorded a 68 in three of the last six rounds he has played since returning from an injury that sidelined him for Alabama's first two tournaments of the spring.
Not to be outdone, Hardee collected his third top-20 result in four events this spring with his 12th-place result. The Greer, S.C., native closed play at 4-under par 209 (70-70-69) and has shot below par in nine of the 12 rounds he has played.
Junior Steven Setterstrom rounded out the Tide in 27th-place with an even par 213 (74-68-71) on the par 71, 7,100 Vanderbilt Legends Course South. It was his best 54-hole score of the year and second-best result, just shy of the 24th-place finish at the 2016 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate.
Redshirt freshman Alex Green competed as an individual, as he tied for 57th overall with a 224 (73-77-74).
Sixth-ranked Florida (822) was able to outduel Alabama down the stretch to pull out a narrow one-stroke victory. Tournament host and third-ranked Vanderbilt finished third with an 826, while No. 21 Duke (840) was a distant fourth, finishing 14 strokes back of the Commodores. There was a tie for fifth place between No. 26 Missouri and No. 49 Middle Tennessee, with both teams finishing at 843.
Alabama will have a quick turnaround when it competes in its final regular season event of the 2016-17 next weekend at the Clemson Invitational. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played on April 7-9 in Salem, S.C.
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Players Mentioned
