The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Golf Hosts Fourth Annual Shoal Creek Intercollegiate
9/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 21, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Five teams ranked among the nation's top 30 in Golfweek's preseason rankings, including tournament host No. 24 UAB, will meet in Birmingham, Ala. to take part in the fourth annual Shoal Creek Intercollegiate. The event starts with two rounds on Monday, followed by the third and final round on Tuesday.
The 2008 season marks the fourth annual Intercollegiate and with 10 of the 12 teams competing ranked in last year's top 75, this year's edition is shaping up to be one of the most competitive events to date. Texas Tech captured the 2007 Shoal Creek Intercollegiate championship, and will return to defend its crown in 2008.
Last year, the tournament host UAB men's golf team had the lead going into the final two holes; however, Texas Tech birdied the last two holes to pull out the team title with a nine-over par 873. The Blazers' earned a second place finish, concluding the three-day, 54-hole event five strokes behind the Red Raiders with an 878.
UAB 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. He shared the individual title with Texas Tech's Will Griffin.
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.
"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.
Smith's outing was not the lone standout performance for the Blazers, as All-American Zack Sucher also recorded a top-five finish with a two-under par 878 to take third place.
This year, eight teams return from last year's event, and four new teams will make up the 12-team field. Along with the Blazers and Red Raiders, returning teams from a year ago include: Auburn, Georgia Southern, LSU, Ole Miss, North Florida and Oklahoma. The four new teams making their first appearance at the event are: Baylor, East Tennessee State (No. 14), Tulsa and Wake Forest (No. 15).
Over the first three years, the annual tournament has been receiving national acclaim. With the excitement of last year's tournament going down to the final hole and the number of ranked, quality teams at this year's venue, it is no wonder why the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate is attracting the top talent in collegiate golf.
All the tournament live scoring can be followed on golfstat.com. Admission will be free for the general public.
