April 18, 2008

Tuscaloosa, AL (UWIRE) -- After a record-setting regular season, the No. 1 Alabama men's golf team begins play today at the SEC Championships in St. Simons Island, Ga.

The Crimson Tide recorded a school-best five tournament championships this season and has spent the majority of the season atop the collegiate rankings.

"Hopefully we've saved our best golf for last," senior Joseph Sykora said, "because that's what it is going to take."

Led by senior All-American Michael Thompson, the Tide enters the tournament with a lineup that many consider to be the deepest in the NCAA. Three Tide golfers, Mark Harrell, Matthew Swan and Sykora, have earned individual tournament championships this year.

Thompson, a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award - given to the nation's top collegiate golfer - has yet to record an individual championship this year but has finished in the top 10 of all seven collegiate events he entered this season. Last weekend, Thompson competed in the Masters as an amateur and shot a 73-78/151.

Rounding out the Tide's lineup is junior Matt Hughes, who is fifth on the team with a 72.89 stroke average. With only five spots available, Tide head coach Jay Seawell faced the difficult task of leaving one of his most experienced golfers at home. 2007 All-SEC golfer Gator Todd was the odd man out.

"Last Wednesday [April 2] was probably the hardest day I've had in 16 years of coaching," Seawell said. "To leave Gator at home was a difficult decision. I think it's a tribute to our team how good we are that we are going to leave a great player at home. I've been agonizing over this for about a month on who was going, who wasn't. It flip-flopped all over.

"To leave Gator at home was probably heartbreak for me, and I know it was for him. However we're trying to take the team that we feel best that can help us win the SEC Championship. We feel like we've done that. The guys are getting ready and I'm looking forward to seeing how they will do."

The competition at the SEC tournament will be as strong as any tournament field the Tide has seen all year. The University of Georgia is ranked second in the nation. Florida is ranked No. 8, and Tennessee is ranked No. 9. This year, the conference championship has moved a few miles down the road to Frederica Golf Course in St. Simons Island. Last season, the Tide finished second by two strokes to Tennessee.

The Tide won its only SEC Championship in 1979. Georgia has won 26 conference championships, most recently in 2006.

The Tide tees off Friday in 10-minute increments beginning at 10:30 a.m. from the championship blocks. The final round will be held Sunday.

"We are extremely determined to win this week," Sykora said. "We fully expect to win. We know we can win, and anything less than that would be disappointing."

(C) 2008 The Crimson White via UWIRE