Alabama
Mason Rudolph Championship
Three Golfers Finish in Top 10 to Lead No. 7 Alabama to a Second-Place Finish at Mason Rudolph Championship
4/15/2018 6:14:00 PM | Men's Golf
Davis Shore closes play with season-best second-place finish to lead Crimson Tide
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Three Alabama golfers finished among the top-10 individuals to lead the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide to a second-place finish at the 2018 Mason Rudolph Championship on Sunday. It was the sixth time in nine tournaments this season that Alabama has placed among the top two teams in an event, and was its eighth top-five result of the 2017-18 campaign.
Alabama, which finished runner up in the event for the third time in the last four years, closed play with a 4-over par 856 (291-281-284). The Tide finished three strokes behind tournament host No. 4 Vanderbilt (853), who carded a 6-under par 278 on Sunday to claim the team title. Liberty, ranked No. 46 in the nation, finished third with an 861, while No. 6 Florida was fourth with an 867. There was a three-way tie for fifth between No. 47 Louisville, Georgia and East Tennessee State, which each carded a team total of 883.
"I was proud of how our guys hung in there all day," Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. "It was another tough day, with the weather conditions similar to how it was last week. So between battling the elements and a great Vanderbilt team on its home golf course, I thought our guys stood toe-to-toe all weekend, but Vandy was just a little better than us today. You never like to finish second, but I was really proud of how our guys battled and competed all the way to the end. We had a chance to win and for us to battle down the stretch against a top-five team on its home golf course, I thought it showed a lot of character."
Freshman Davis Shore led the way for the Tide placing second overall, which marked his best finish at Alabama. The Knoxville, Tenn., native ended the 54-hole tournament at 2-under par 211 (72-67-72), closing play five strokes back of medalist John Augenstein of Vanderbilt (206).
Freshman Wilson Furr earned his first career top-10 tournament result, as he tied for seventh overall, while senior Jonathan Hardee tied for 10th to give the Crimson Tide three golfers among the top-10 individuals.
Furr finished play with a 1-over par on Sunday to close the event at 2-over 215 (70-73-72) on the par 71, 7,100-yard Traditions Golf Club South Couse layout. Meanwhile, Hardee collected his first top-10 result of the spring, and sixth of his career, with a 4-over par 217 (72-73-72).
Junior Davis Riley, who was ranked No. 17 in the nation entering the tournament, finished tied for 15th overall with a 6-over 219 (77-68-74). Senior Lee Hodges, who was ranked 15th nationally, tied for 29th at 10-over par 223 (79-76-68) to round out the Tide golfers.
Seniors Steven Setterstrom and Tyler Hitchner competed as individuals over the weekend. Setterstrom tied for 32nd overall with a 224 (74-74-76), while Hitchner tied for 48th with a 227 (71-76-80).
"We had four seniors play their last regular season event together and I was really happy we could do that," Seawell said. "Tyler, Steven, Lee and Jonathan have all been a huge part of our program and our team. It was fun to walk with them and see them at the end, but it was a little bittersweet because we know that part of it is over. I'm very proud of each of them."
The event was the final regular season tournament for the Crimson Tide. Alabama will now begin preparations for the 2018 Southeastern Conference Tournament, which will be played at St. Simons Island, Ga., on the Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course on April 25-29.
"We will take a couple of days off to make sure the guys get their school work in order," Seawell said regarding preparations the team will make in the upcoming week. "We leave next Tuesday for Sea Island. It will be a new format and new way of playing this year's championship, so we'll spend the next few days getting ready for all that's in front of us at Sea Island."
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Players Mentioned
