The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Hummingbird Intercollegiate
Blazers Finish in Ninth Place At Hummingbird Invitational
11/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 2, 2010
SAPPHIRE, N.C. -- The UAB men's golf team finished in ninth overall at the 2010 Hummingbird Intercollegiate, hosted by Western Carolina, closing play with a team score of 585 (293-292). The event marked the Blazers final tournament of the 2010 fall season.
Junior Jason Shufflebotham led the Blazers during the 36-hole, two-day event, marking the fourth time in UAB's five tournaments that he led his team. The Presatyn, Wales native closed play tied for 13th overall after carding a one-over par 143 on the par 71, 6,767-yard Country Club of Sapphire Valley.
The 13th-place result capped an impressive fall campaign for Shufflebotham. Entering this year, the redshirt junior had not finished among the top-25 in any event, with his best finish coming at last year's Conference USA Championship, where he closed play tied for 32nd.
However, Shufflebotham recorded four top-25 finishes during the fall campaign, including a career-best second-place finish in the Blazers' opening tournament of the year, the Ocean Course Intercollegiate. Furthermore, he recorded six rounds of par or better this fall, including a career-best round of 68 in the second round of the David Toms Intercollegiate.
Shufflebotham was not the only Blazer to fare well in the final event this fall, as freshman Wilson McDonald finished in 27th-place overall to record his second top-30 finish of the year. The Mobile, Ala. native carded a one-under par 70 during Tuesday's final 18 holes to finish the event with a four-over par 146, both of which are career-best scores.
Redshirt freshman Thomas Sutton, who was in fifth overall entering the day, struggled on Tuesday and tied for 53rd overall with a 150 (69-81). Junior Tyler Hock closed play with a 152 (78-74) and tied for 65th overall, while freshman Sam Love, playing his first career tournament, rounded out the Blazers in 74th overall with a 153 (77-76).
Jacksonville (563) carded the third-lowest team score in tournament history to rally from third place and win the team title by six strokes over second place Vanderbilt (569).
Kentucky finished in third place at 573, 10 strokes off the pace, while Furman and Gardner-Webb tied for fourth at 573.
Vanderbilt's Adam Hofmann, who led the field after Monday's opening round with a 66, finished at seven-under 135 to record the third-lowest individual score in tournament history.
The Blazers will next compete on Feb., 11-12, 2011 when they open the spring season at the Gator Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.
