Alabama wins team title at Schenkel E-Z-Go Invitational
Ben Kohles
Statesboro, GA (March 18, 2012) -- The Alabama men's golf team cooled off a little on Sunday during the final round of the Schenkel Invitational but still rolled to a 22-shot victory for the team's second win of the spring schedule with a 47-under-par total of 817 on the par-72, 6,962-yard Forest Heights Country Club.
The 47-under-par is a new Alabama school record in relation to par, breaking the old mark of 42-under par (810) at the 2007 Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate. The Crimson Tide still shot the lowest round in the field on Sunday with an 8-under-par 280 to complete the wire-to-wire victory. The 817 total also broke the tournament record by eight strokes.
“I’m really proud of the guys this weekend, 47-under par – that is some pretty good golf,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell. “We had a rough tournament in Las Vegas and from the time we got out of the van this week at the Schenkel, you could just see a different look in their eye. We learned some valuable lessons, got back to competing and did a great job.”
Virginia finished second at 25-under-par 839 while Auburn and Florida tied for third at 17-under 847 with UAB rounding out the top five at 9-under 855. Virginia's Ben Kohles captured medalist honors with an 18-under-par total of 198 with Auburn's Blayne Barber second at 15-under 201.
Alabama would then lockdown the next four spots on the leader board with Justin Thomas and Cory Whitsett tying for third at 12-under 204. Hunter Hamrick and Bobby Wyatt were then tied for fifth at 10-under 206. Scott Strohmeyer, who fired the Tide's lowest round on Sunday with a 3-under 69, at tied for 21st at 1-under 215.
Thomas and Hamrick shot 2-under-par rounds of 70 on Sunday while Wyatt carded a 1-under 71 and Whitsett and even-par 72. Hamrick did not make a bogey during the 54-hole Schenkel Invitational.
Alabama returns to action on March 24-25 at the Linger Longer Invitational at the Reynolds Landing Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.
View results for Schenkel Invitational
ABOUT THE Schenkel Invitational
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by
Georgia Southern University. Team (best four scores of
five players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information