May 17, 2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ----- The UAB men's golf team is headed to the NCAA National Championships at West Lafayette, Ind. in two weeks after finishing play Saturday with another outstanding day at the NCAA East Regionals. Behind the play of junior Zach Sucher, who earned co-medalist honors, the Blazers finished in fifth place overall with a three-round total of 13-under par 839, the second-best 54-hole mark in school history.

The Blazers fired a 6-under par 278 Saturday, following their scores of 287 and 274 the first two rounds to finish fifth overall in the 27-team field. The top 10 teams from each of the three regional sites this weekend now advance to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 28-31 at the Birck Golf Complex in West Lafayette. It is the first time since 2002 and just the third time in school history that UAB will make an appearance in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships (2001 and 2002).

"I am so excited and thrilled to see this team reach their goals they set from the beginning of the year," UAB head coach Alan Kaufman said. "I have said from the beginning of the year that this team is one of the most talented teams in program history. For them to step up and play the way they did over the last two rounds really speaks volumes for their character. I am really happy for these guys, especially our two seniors."

Sucher, who Friday blistered the course with the second-best single-round score (62) in NCAA Championship history, came back Saturday with a 69 and tied Georgia's Russell Henley for individual medalist honors. Sucher and Henley each finished with scores of 13-under par 200, two strokes better than Augusta State's Henrik Norlander. More impressively, Sucher finished the weekend 10-under par on par-5 holes on his way to becoming the first UAB men's golfer to win an NCAA Regional event.

"I felt great out there today," Sucher said. "I hit all 18 greens in regulation (on Saturday) and felt confident in my iron play. I had some bad breaks but that is just a part of the game. I am really excited for this opportunity to compete for a national championship."

The Mobile, Ala. native is no stranger to the NCAA Nationals. Last season, Sucher went to Nationals as an individual and finished in a tie for fourth overall to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors. He is entering this year's event on an impressive roll, as he now has claimed three consecutive medalist honors (Bank of America Intercollegiate on April 7-8 and the Conference USA Championships on April 20-22.

Sucher's round began on the back nine and he picked up right where he left off after Friday's record-setting performance. Following a par on the opening hole, Sucher eagled the par 5, 535-yard 11th hole and also birdied the par 5, 546-yard 13th to begin three-under through his opening four holes.

However, he missed short birdie putts on No. 15 and 16 to give him a chance to extend his lead. It would catch up to him on the 18th hole with a three-putt bogey. Then after making the turn, Sucher hit his second shot over the green on hole No. 1 and went on to bogey that hole as well.

Sucher would respond by collecting birdies on the par 5, 583-yard sixth hole and the par 3 seventh to give him a one stroke advantage as he teed off on his final hole of the day. But following a second shot on the par 4 ninth hole that left him with a 50-foot putt for birdie, Sucher three-putted to end up with a bogey five and drop him into a tie for the overall lead.

The Blazers also got outstanding play from their other golfers throughout most of the tournament. Adam West carded a 3-under par 68 in Saturday's final round and finished at 209, 4-under par and tied for 17th place. West's 36-hole mark of 141 tied a career-low score, while his 54-hole mark beat his previous best tally by two strokes.

West had an ominous start to the final round, as he bogeyed his first hole and settled for a three-putt par on the very next hole. However, the Montgomery, Ala. native responded by going 4-under par over his final 16 holes to result in his career-low round.

Brad Smith shot a 214 for three rounds, closing with an even par 71 Saturday. Smith tied for 51st. Kyle Sapp also was at even par Saturday and finished the tournament at 218, +5 for three rounds and tied for 89th place. Mike Oimoen was 1-under Saturday with his final round 70 and finished at 219. He fired a 71 Friday after an opening round 78. Oimoen finished in the 94th position.

Georgia, the top-seeded team at the regional, easily won the team competition as the Bulldogs fired a cumulative score of 811, 41 strokes under par and 21 shots better than team runner-up Augusta State (832). UC Irvine was third at 836, just three shots ahead of UAB, while Mississippi State placed fourth at 838.