The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Jerry Pate National Invitational
Men's Golf Team Finishes Fifth At Jerry Pate National
10/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 4, 2011
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB senior golfer Jason Shufflebotham finished eighth overall after carding a career-best round of six-under par 64 in Tuesday's final 18 holes of the 2011 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Ala. As a team, the Blazers, ranked No. 8 in the country and one of seven nationally-ranked teams among the 12-team field, closed play in fifth overall with a team score of 12-over par 867 (290-285-292).
"Overall, I feel pretty good about our performance," UAB head coach Alan Kaufman said. "We beat some real competitive teams and finished in the top five in a terrific field. "I am disappointed we didn't meet our goal of a top-three finish, but I still have to be pleased with the result considering there were so many ranked teams in the field. I think if anything, this will show us that we can compete with any team in the nation and that will only help our confidence."
Shufflebotham set a torrid pace to lead the Blazers during the two-day, 54-hole event. After a bogey on the first hole Tuesday, the Prestatyn, Wales native, who entered the event as the 89th-ranked golfer in the country, closed the front nine with birdies on five of his next eight holes and finished with seven birdies in his round. He closed the event with a final score of two-over par 212 (79-69-64).
Shufflebotham topped his previous career-best 18-hole mark of 66, shot earlier this season at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate. Six of his nine rounds this season have been par or below and he leads the team with a 70.6 per-round stroke average. Furthermore, Shufflebotham has finished inside the top-15 in each of UAB's three tournaments on the year.
"I just went out there today and played as fearlessly as I could," Shufflebotham said. "It was a gamble and sometimes I was over-aggressive, but it paid off. It feels good to play well, but I know I still have a lot of improvement to make.
"As a team, to be honest, I think we underperformed," the senior captain continued. "We were expecting bigger things this week. We didn't have one of us that put together a consistent three rounds. But I think that is a sign of how strong of a team we have. I think we are realizing how good we can be, but we all know we still need to work hard and continue to improve."
Sophomore Thomas Sutton also had a strong showing in the event, closing play tied for 11th overall. Led be a career-best 18-hole mark during Monday's opening round, Sutton finished the event with a five-over par 215 (65-74-76) on the par 70, 7,204-yard Old Overton Golf Course.
Junior Hunter Hawkins, who also carded a career-low round during the event with a second round 68, finished tied for 29th with a 221 (73-68-80). Sophomore Sam Love tied for 35th with a 223 (76-74-73), while freshman Paul Dunne rounded out UAB with a 233 (76-78-79) and finished tied for 52nd overall.
Texas, which entered the event ranked No. 31 in the nation, ran away with the team title and finished with a four-under par 836. The Longhorns finished 20 strokes ahead of tournament host and No. 13 Alabama and No. 17 Clemson, both of which closed play with a team score of 856. Third-ranked Auburn, which won the Jerry Pate last year, finished three strokes ahead of the Blazers at 864 in fourth place.
UAB will next be in action on Oct. 17-18 when it travels to Kiawah Island, S.C. to participate at the Invitational at the Ocean Course.
