Alabama
Southern Highlands Masters
Alabama Men’s Golf Finishes Tied for Eighth at Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters
3/7/2018 9:15:00 PM | Men's Golf
Hodges, Hardee both finish among top 20
LAS VEGAS – The No. 4-ranked Alabama men's golf team ended play at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters on Wednesday tied for eighth overall with a 54-hole team total of 7-over par 871 (290-289-292).
The Crimson Tide finished even with No. 14 Illinois (871), with both settling four shots behind No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 28 Pepperdine, who tied for sixth overall at 867. In all, this year's 15-team Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters field featured nine teams ranked among in the top 30 in the nation and 13 ranked among the top 55.
"What I love most about this tournament is it takes us out of our comfort zone," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. "We play on a different type of grass in a different environment and it challenges us. A lot of things were positive this week and I am proud of a lot of things. We also learned that the line between good, average and great is very thin. We've got to find a way to do the little things better. This tournament has always been a great indicator of that line. We are good enough to be on the other side of it and this week we were not. We are going to get back to work and find a way to be on the other side of that line."
Seniors Lee Hodges and Jonathan Hardee led the Crimson Tide as each finished among the top-20 individuals in the field. Hodges, a native of Ardmore, Tenn., closed play with a 1-under par 215 (68-76-71) to finished tied for 11th overall. It is the fourth time in six tournaments this season that Hodges has finished among the top 15.
Meanwhile, Hardee ended the event one stroke behind Hodges with a 54-hole score of 2-over par 218 (71-72-75). The Greer, S.C., native tied for 20th overall to record his third top-20 results of the year.
Junior Davis Riley recorded his second consecutive even par round in as many days, and ended the event tied for 38th with a 5-over par 221 (77-72-72). It marked the first tournament this season that Riley, who entered the event ranked second in the nation by Golfstat.com, did not finish among the top 10 individuals.
Freshman Wilson Furr closed play tied for 45th overall with a 222 (74-71-77), while freshman Davis Shore carded a 227 (79-74-74) to finish tied for 66th on the par 72, 7,374 yard Southern Highlands Golf Club course.
Senior Steven Setterstrom, who competed as an individual, ended the day tied for 66th with a 227 (78-75-74).
Florida, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, carded a total of 5-under par 859 to win the team title by four strokes over No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 18 USC, who both finished with an 863. Tournament host No. 35 UNLV (864) finished fourth, while No. 36 TCU (865) rounded out the top five teams.
The Tide will return to action on March 18-20 when it competes at the Linger Longer Invitational, hosted by Kennesaw State.
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Players Mentioned
