The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Kaufman Inks JuCo Standout Smith
4/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 18, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB head men's golf coach Alan Kaufman announced the signing of junior college All-American Brad Smith Tuesday. Smith is a 6-0 linkster for Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. The Adelaide, Australia product is a 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association All-American and one of the leaders of Indian Hills' No. 4-ranked men's golf team.
"Brad Smith has won a lot of tournaments and played against some top-notch international competition," Kaufman said. "He is one of the top junior college players in the nation and we are thrilled he has chosen to sign with UAB."
Smith earned second team JuCo All-America status in 2005 after placing seventh at the 2005 NJCAA Men's Golf Championships. He won The Wrangler and Buena Vista Invitational tournaments as a freshman at Indian Hills and is currently rated one of the top five players in District 3 as a sophomore.
Prior to coming stateside for his college career, Smith tied for second at the Australian Amateur Stroke Play Championships in 2004. That same year, he won the H.L. Rhymill Trophy - a state tournament in Australia - with a tournament record score of six-under-par 138 for 36 holes.
Smith is the son of Mike and Cathy Smith and played prep golf at Scotch College in Australia for Mike Sprengel. He joins fall signees Adam and Blake West of Montgomery, Ala., and Wetumpka High School in Kaufman's Class of 2006.
"We only lose one senior this year in Clark Brown," Kaufman said. "With the talent we've got coming back and these three young men, we should put ourselves in position to progress closer to our goals of qualifying for the NCAA National Tournament again."
Kaufman has guided UAB to two NCAA National Tournament appearances in his eight years at UAB. The Blazers finished the fall season ranked No. 42 in the Golfweek/Sagarin computer ratings with a 46-17 head-to-head record.
