The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Shoal Creek Intercollegiate
Blazers Fall Short Of Shoal Creek Title, Take Second
9/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 25, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB men's golf team had the lead going into the final two holes of the 2007 Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, however Texas Tech birdied the last two holes to pull out the team title with a nine-over par 873. Senior Brad Smith led the Blazers with a three-under par 213 to share co-medalist honors and capture his first-ever tournament title for the Blazers.
After shooting even par through the opening two rounds, Smith was the hottest player of the day and entered the final two holes at five-under par for the round. Unfortunately, Smith made a pair of bogeys on holes 17 and 18, which dropped him into a tie for the tournament crown with Texas Tech's Will Griffin. Smith's finish marks the second consecutive event that the Hawthorn, Australia native led the Blazers.
"I am extremely proud of the way that we preformed throughout the tournament," said UAB head coach Alan Kaufman. "We have to tip our hats to Texas Tech. We led them going into the final two holes and they won the tournament the way true champions win, by recording birdies in the final two holes.
"Brad played a terrific tournament and had an outstanding round today. All of our guys played really well and we deserved to win, but just came up short."
The Blazers' earned a second place finish for the second time in as many events this season. UAB concluded the three-day, 54-hole event five strokes behind the Red Raiders with an 878.
Smith's outing was not the lone standout performance for the Blazers, as junior All-American Zach Sucher also recorded a top-five finish with a two-under par 878 to take third place.
Redshirt sophomore Cathal O'Malley tied for the 35th spot, finishing with an 11-over par 227, followed by junior Blake West in a tie for 49th (232) and junior college transfer tied for 52nd (233).
Texas Tech was the third different team to win the annual event in as many years (Alabama won in 2006, LSU won in 2005). Closely behind UAB was third-place Auburn, who finished with a score of 880. Ole Miss and North Florida finished in fourth and fifth place with marks of 886 and 887, respectively, to round out the top five.
"This is becoming a prestigious event," said Kaufman. "This year's competition came down to the last two holes and was very competitive. We want to thank Shoal Creek Country Club for being great hosts and we look forward to next year's event."
