Alabama Men’s Golf Releases 2014-15 Schedule

The University of Alabama men’s golf coach Jay Seawell announced the release of the Crimson Tide’s 2014-15 schedule on Thursday that features some of the most competitive tournaments in the nation for the back-to-back NCAA Champions.

“We have a couple of new stops on this year’s schedule, but once again it will be an outstanding test for our golf team,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. “This team will look a little different than the last four years with those three seniors playing professionally, but we have a tremendous talent base with Robby Shelton and Tom Lovelady and some exciting young players.

“One of the things we try to do when we make our schedule is to not only challenge our team in a way to make them better, but to also give them the opportunity to play some of the best golf courses in this part of the world. This year’s schedule certainly meets all of those criteria with courses like Olympia Fields, Shoal Creek, Old Overton, Southern Highlands and Sawgrass Country Club.”

The 2014-15 season gets started quickly with all four fall tournaments completed by the first week of October. Alabama opens the season at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, an event they have won three times, on Sept. 5-7, at The Farm Golf Club in Dalton, Ga. The Crimson Tide then return to defend their title at the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational on Sept. 12-14, at Olympia Fields Country Club just outside of Chicago.

Alabama final two fall events will be played at two of the best courses in the South. The Crimson Tide tee it up at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, hosted by UAB, on Sept. 28-29.

The Tide will then travel just down the road return home to host the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate at the Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills, Ala., where the field will play 36 holes on Monday, Oct. 6, and the final 18 on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The Crimson Tide has captured six of the last eight team titles at the JPNI.

The spring season opens with a familiar stop in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, as the Tide takes part in the Puerto Rico Classic at the Rio Mar Country Club February 22-24.  The Tide will be making their 11^th consecutive visit to Puerto Rico, a place where they have captured the team title in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The second tournament of the spring is the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 27-March 1. It is the first appearance in the event for the Crimson Tide since winning the event in 2008.

Alabama returns to the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters for the fourth straight year. The Crimson Tide will travel to Las Vegas, Nev., on March 9-11, at the Southern Highlands Golf Club. UA is then slated for the Linger Longer Invitational on March 21-22, at the Reynolds Landing Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.

The Tide wraps up its regular-season scheduled by making their second straight appearance in the Mason Rudolph Championship, winning the title in 2014. The event is hosted by Vanderbilt and the Commodores head coach Scott Limbaugh, who is a former Alabama assistant coach, on April 3-5, at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.

Postseason play begins April 17-19 with the SEC Championships being held at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course in St. Simons Island, Ga. The NCAA Regional Championships get underway May 14-16, at one of six sites while the NCAA Championships run May 28-June 3 at the Concession Country Club in Bradenton, Fla.