Tide Men's Golf Has Good Final 18

WINDERMERE, Fla. – The Alabama men’s golf team fired the lowest round of the day to finish third at the 2012 Isleworth Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday at the par-72, 7,544-yard Isleworth Country Club.

Alabama shot 3-under-par 285 in the final round to finish third, moving past Illinois, Texas and Florida with a 54-hole total of 9-over 873. California finished off the wire-to-wire win at 4-over par 868 after a 289 Tuesday. New Mexico held on to second place at 6-over 870. Texas finished fourth at 15-over 879 with Illinois in fifth at 882. Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and LSU occupied the next four positions.

“The guys battled every day and that is what I’m proud of,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. “I don’t know if we are playing great golf right now, but their attitudes are good, and they hung in there and scrapped out the low round of the day.”

Sophomore Justin Thomas just missed another medalist honor, posting a 2-under-par round of 70 to finish tied for second at 3-under-par 213. The Goshen, Ky., native carded four birdies and just one bogey on the back nine to get within one shot of California’s Michael Kim, who won with a 4-under 212.

Redshirt freshman Tom Lovelady of Birmingham carded the Tide’s lowest round of the tournament on Tuesday with a 3-under 69. He made five birdies on the round, including three straight birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes.

Junior Trey Mullinax also came through with his lowest round of the event, shooting 1-under 71 in the third round to finish in a tie for 16th place at 4-over-par 220. Cory Whitsett was Alabama’s final counting score Tuesday at 3-over 75. Wyatt shot 77 in the final round and did not count toward the team score. Both Whisett and Wyatt tied for 28th at 8-over 224.

The Isleworth Collegiate Invitational closed out the Crimson Tide’s fall schedule. The spring slate begins on February 17-19 at the Puerto Rico Classic.