The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Poppyhills Intercollegiate
Blazers Finish Second At St. Mary's Invitational
9/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 11, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. ----- Brad Smith finished third overall to lead the UAB men's golf team to a second-place finish at the St. Mary's Invitational on Sept. 10-11. The Blazers closed play on the par 72, 6,857-yard Poppy Hills Golf Course with an 882 (297-288-297), four strokes back of overall champion Baylor.
"I am pleased with the way we played," UAB head coach Alan Kaufman. "I thought we had a real shot to win this tournament and if weren't for two bad holes, I think we could have won. It is a good result to start the season. We just need to learn from our mistakes, keep improving and the results will come."
Smith, who entered Tuesday's final round in a tie for the overall lead, finished the afternoon with a three-over par 75, to close the tournament at even par with a 216 (72-69-75). Smith was only two strokes behind individual champion Wesley Williams of Baylor. Although Smith failed to capture his first medalist honor at UAB, his third-place finish was a career best placement for the senior from Hawthorne, Australia.
Redshirt sophomore Cathal O'Malley, opened the season in impressive fashion, finishing tied for 15th overall with a career-low 54-hole mark of 221 (77-70-74). Junior college transfer Mike Oimeon made an immediate impression, closing play tied for 22nd with a 222 (77-73-72).
Junior Zach Sucher carded a 228 (73-76-79), while senior Kyle Sapp shot a 229 (75-78-76) to round out the Blazers tied for 47th and 54th, respectively.
Tournament host St. Mary's finished tied for third with UT-Arlington at 883, while Eastern Michigan rounded out the top five with a team score of 884. Two other Conference USA schools that competed in the event finished below the Blazers, at Memphis (888) finished in a tie for sixth overall, while Houston closed in 16th (920).
UAB will next be in action when it hosts the third annual Shoal Creek Intercollegiate at the Shoal Creek Golf Course on Sept. 24-25.
